The Mega Protocol
by NegaiFreak
Summary: Mega Evolution… Stories of this fabled power are told throughout time, with the first eleven main members of the Omni Force mastering the ability to do so. Witness the tales told by their children about their adventures in obtaining and using this power, doing so to protect one another, and be strong enough to fight alongside one another. Contains multiple pairings! Rated T!
1. Gingka's Journey PART I

**Hey, everybody! Coming straight from the inspiration of the Pokémon XY &Z series, it's time to go into "The Mega Protocol"! There are definitely a couple things to note about this story, as it delves into the mastery and journey of Mega Evolution for 11 of the Omni Force members. First and foremost, the following Mega Evolutions will be for the following trainers:**

 **Mega Scizor – Gingka Hagane**

 **Mega Pidgeot – Rainbow Dash**

 **Mega Charizard Y – Ash Ketchum**

 **Mega Lopunny – Sunset Shimmer**

 **Mega Beedrill – Rook Blonko**

 **Mega Salamence – Natsu Dragneel**

 **Mega Gallade – Naruto Uzumaki**

 **Mega Medicham – Hinata Hyuga**

 **Mega Steelix – Rex Salazar**

 **Mega Swampert – Avatar Korra**

 **Mega Sceptile – Ben Tennyson**

 **Each character's story in training with their Mega Evolvable Pokémon will be in this order. Also, the story of each character will sometimes be divided into parts based on how important their arc is. The most important one, and the one that I'm starting with, is Gingka's arc. As you might've read "A New Evolution", where the person in question mastered Mega Evolution of his Scizor, this story is going to focus on his development in having the ability to Mega Evolve. This arc also centers around him meeting Alain, and their conflict that will be in the finale of the beyblader's story.**

 **But before the stories begin, I think you guys oughta' meet the future Omni Force members. My OCs, Raya Dashilee Tennyson, Rachael Hagane, Leslie Ketchum, and Sky Hagane will be the ones to kick things off before we get into the big battles of the past. And of course, they're welcome to take any questions you guys might have for them. Also, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THESE CARTOONS OR ANIMES WHATSOEVER. I only have ownership of my OC characters. With disclaimers set aside, let's dive right into "The Mega Protocol"!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

A scoop of vanilla ice cream dropped down into a bowl, landing upon its surface as the cream oozing from it spread around. Afterwards, chocolate syrup poured down onto the icy treat, flowing like lava from a volcano. Then, a hand dropped a small cherry on top of the desert completing it.

"Huh…" a feminine voice breathed, coming from a woman wearing a black tank top, pink pajama pants, and brown slippers. Her bright blue eyes looked down to see three bowls of vanilla ice cream, each filled with three scoops and having chocolate syrup and a cherry on top. "Just one more to go…" she mumbled to herself, pulling out another plastic bowl. She brushed back her flowing red hair, which had two strands going down each side of her face. Upon it also was a flower shaped hair accessory, being at the back of her head as it was tied into a short ponytail that reached her neck. She smiled brightly as she scooped out another piece of the delicious looking desert, letting it plop down into the bowl. Suddenly, the sounds of laughter caught her attention as she glanced upwards at the ceiling, grinning a little as she placed her left hand on her hip. "Those girls…" she muttered with a sigh. Night had fallen over the airport central of Mistralton City, as within the big, two-story house just beyond the gym, the were up and running. Inside one of the upper rooms, three girls, a Lucario, and a Ducklett were lounging around, with the former group of humans having their pajamas on. One of them was a little girl with short, scarlet red hair, wearing a sky blue onesie that had a bunch of white feathers upon it. The Water/Flying type was sitting atop her head as she was smiling brightly, talking to the girl in front of her. She was a taller girl with a set of olive green pajama pants and a shirt, having lovely white hair that reached down to her back. Kneeled upon the ground next to the Aura Pokémon, she was laughing delightedly alongside him, holding a plastic bag filled with marshmallows in her hands. The third female among them was lying upon the lone bed in the room, having her arms folded behind her head. She red, yellow and blue hair in divided streaks, arranged into a perfect ponytail. Also, she sported a navy blue, hooded vest with black sweatpants. Her eyes were closed as she was trying to rest them, ignoring the others as the Ketchum girl took a sugary treat out of the package she had, placing it in her mouth and biting down into it.

"Mmm~!" she moaned delightedly as the deliciousness of the marshmallow reached her tongue while she closed her mouth over it, putting her hands upon her cheeks, "It's _so_ good!" she exclaimed happily with a hearty blush. From his trainer's reaction, Lucarus became immediately interested in trying one of the puffy, white sources of sugar as well, grabbing one from the bag. He then popped it into his mouth, chewing on it for a moment. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up in astonishment.

"Rah…" he uttered, absolutely amazed by the sensation of the sugar on his taste buds. The brown haired girl beside him giggled at his reaction, placing her hands on her pajama covered knees.

"Marshmallows sure are great," she noted, "aren't they, Lucarus?" she questioned to her Lucario.

"Rah ha!" he responded in agreement, reaching over for more marshmallows to put in his mouth. Sky couldn't help but giggle as well, taking a treat for herself from the bag, handing it off to her Ducklett.

"It must be nice to finally take it easy for once," she noted to the Ketchum girl, getting her attention as she glanced over to her, "As awesome a trainer you are," she continued while her Water/Flying type picked up the goodie in his beak, swallowing it up quickly, "I'm sure you _needed_ a break…" she mentioned, smiling.

"Huh…" Leslie sighed, "You don't know the half of it, Sky," she told her, looking up at the ceiling of her friend's room, "Besides Lucarus, my other Pokémon have been through a lot…" she pointed out.

"Hm," the Steel/Fighting type agreed with a nod of his head.

"Good news is," his trainer began again, "we're almost at the top of Black Tower in Black City!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists tightly, much to the surprise of the younger Hagane girl.

"No way!" she responded in disbelief, causing Raya to bat open her left eye as she glanced over at the two from the bed she was on, "And you're gonna challenge Benga to a battle?!" the red haired girl questioned loudly, " _The_ Benga?!" she repeated in shock.

"Mm-hmm," the white haired girl replied with a nod, "But don't you worry," she reassured, standing up, "I'm gonna beat him and claim my spot as Tower Master!" she declared, "The whole world better watch out then…" she added excitedly.

"Rah!" her Lucario cried out in agreement, getting up with her. The half-rainbow haired girl chuckled at their exchange as she turned over to her side and rested her head upon her left hand, catching their attentions as they turned around to look at her.

"And what have _you_ been up to, Raya?" the Ketchum girl asked, placing her hands at her hips while raising her right eyebrow.

"Besides seeing my bratty brother get in trouble, working with Devlin and Kyoto on missions, and learning how to use my magic," she listed off in response, much to the surprise of the two girls and their respective Pokémon, "not much," she said, folding her arms behind her ponytailed head in a smug manner before lying back on the plush surface of the bed.

"Hmph…" Leslie scoffed, puffing her cheeks angrily as she turned away. The Aura Pokémon beside her let out a sigh, feeling somewhat exasperated with his trainer.

"It's still _really_ nice to have both of you here," Sky chimed in as her Water Bird Pokémon waddled onto her lap, "We never thought either of you'd be able to show," she mentioned, "right, Ducksie?" she questioned to her Water/Flying type.

"Duck lett!" she squawked happily in response, flapping her wings, making her owner giggle.

"Of course I couldn't miss out on a slumber party with you guys!" the Pokémon trainer exclaimed, "Your mom and dad's burgers are the best~!" she pointed out, with a trail of drool leaving her lips as she remembered the succulent taste of them.

"Hah…" Lucarus sighed in agreement, drooling as well at the memory. Their unified stance on the food caused the sleeveless, hoodie vested girl to chuckle again, catching their attentions while they turned around to face her.

"And I can't pass a chance to see my best friend again," she mentioned, sitting back up on the bed.

"Oh… your _friend_?" the Ketchum girl question, raising an eyebrow as she grinned evilly much to her pal's confusion.

"W-What?" she stuttered, not sure of what she was trying to get at while she was giggling at her.

"Don't try to hide it," Leslie advised, crossing her arms over her chest, "Me and Sky _know_ you _really_ like Rachael…" she mentioned, causing the half-rainbow haired girl to widen her eyes in realization, blushing slightly.

"Th-That's not it…" she claimed with a stammer, "I-I just love… hanging out with her, you know?" she told them, turning her head away so they wouldn't notice the tint of pink on her cheeks, "Besides," she continued as the doorknob began to turn, catching the others' attentions while their friend continued to talk, "Rachael would never-!" She immediately stopped her sentence the moment she saw said girl walk into the room, having nothing but a white towel covering her wet, glistening body. A few locks of her long, scarlet hair were stuck to her face as Raya looked at her in disbelief, with her own face turning a hearty red.

"Hey, sis!" the younger Hagane girl greeted with a wave, getting her sibling's attention, "Enjoy your shower?" she guessed, seeing the smile upon her face.

"Yep," she responded, using part of her cloth to dry off some of her hair, "It's always nice to end the day with a warm shower," she noted with a giggle, ridding her neck of a few remaining drops of water. Meanwhile, Raya had her eyes fixated on the girl's body, taking notice of her long, bare legs and curvaceous hips. She tried to glance away, but couldn't as her eyes traveled up to her pal's breasts, where a bit of cleavage was sticking out from the towel. Afterwards, she instantly turned her head, blushing madly while she purged her mind of the thoughts she was having. However, her embarrassed reaction was seen by the white haired Pokémon trainer, who chuckled cheekily as an idea formed in her head.

"Hey, Rachael," she began to her in a whisper, catching her attention as she leaned her ear over to listen, "Raya was just talking about you," she told her, much to her surprise as she blinked, "And I think she's lookin' a little flustered seeing you in _just_ a towel," she added with a wink. The requip girl then let off a smirk, walking over to her friend, who took notice of her approaching.

"O-Oh, hey, Rae…" she managed to say with a stutter as she nervously glanced away, blushing still, "You… uh… need us to leave for a bit?" she guessed, forcing herself to look away as she stopped before her, "I mean… you're gonna… you know…" she uttered in between pauses, feeling completely paralyzed by her presence.

"Nah, you're good," she replied, making the girl gasp in surprise, "I can still change with you guys around," she mentioned.

"Wait, what?" the half-rainbow haired girl questioned with a very red face, while Leslie just smirked at the scene, "Wait, wait, hold on!" she pleaded, shaking her head to recompose herself, "You're not seriously gonna change in front of us," she said to her, "…are you?" she asked, becoming very nervous.

"Relax, Raya," Rachael reassured, "We're all girls here, aren't we?" she mentioned, placing her hand on the part of her towel just before her cleavage in a teasing manner, causing her acquaintance to blush profoundly.

"Rah…" Lucarus uttered, glancing off to the side as he scratched his cheek with his left paw, being the only male present among the group while his face turned a bright red.

"Of course we're all girls!" his trainer suddenly chimed in, making him widen his eyes in shock.

"Rah rah ha!" he yelled out to her angrily, knowing that she knew he was the one boy among them.

"Okay, seriously," the Tennyson girl began, reaching her right arm out to the older Hagane girl while fully recomposing herself, "let's give Rae some space to let her-"

"Oops," the said girl uttered teasingly, suddenly letting her towel drop to the ground.

"KYA!" the half-rainbow haired girl shrieked, covering her eyes with both of her hands instantly, blushing a bright red before she could see anything. The Lucario turned away as well, most embarrassed by the scene. All of a sudden though, a brilliant, golden light caught his attention, making him look over with Leslie, Sky, and Ducksie to see the scarlet haired girl requipping into her own set of bedclothes, which were a short sleeved shirt that had the symbol of a feather with a talon upon it that showed off her midriff, along with a pair of black sweatpants.

"Okay, you're good," she promised to her friend upon her bed, enticing her to uncover her eyes and see her in her new outfit. She blinked for a moment in comprehension before growling angrily, as her face was still a bright red.

"NOT COOL, RACHAEL!" she shouted, "YOU ALWAYS GET ME WITH THAT!" she added, enraged as she puffed her cheeks.

"Heh, heh," the older Hagane girl laughed, "Sorry…" she apologized, folding her arms behind her back sheepishly, "I just couldn't resist the chance…" she admitted, blushing a little while she stuck out her tongue, much to the surprise of her pal as she took notice.

"I-It's okay…" she reassured with a stutter, scratching at her left cheek nervously, "Just… don't scare me like that again…" she advised, glancing away for a moment.

"Boy, sis," the youngest girl in the room began, catching the older ones' attention, "you've been getting a lot better with your requips, haven't you?" she guessed as her Ducklett flew up to land upon the top of her head.

"Mm-hmm," her sister responded with a nod, folding her arms under her chest, causing her breasts to pop up a little, "Erza's been teaching me everything she knows about it," she explained with a proud look on her face, "She's even helped me make up my own requips!" she mentioned excitedly.

"Ya look a lot like Erza; that's for sure!" the Pokémon trainer noted with a smile. However, she then glanced at her friend's well-sized chest, and looked back at her own, which was pretty much flat. "In more ways than one…" she muttered in addition, narrowing her eyes in jealously towards her while placing her own hands upon her own chest, catching Rachael's attention.

"Les," she began to her, causing her to perk up and look at her, "don't worry," she reassured, "Not every girl gets boobs right away," she noted, putting her arms down.

"Yeah, sure…" the white haired girl responded, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she glanced away. Being the youngest among the group, Sky just tilted her head in confusion, as she had little to no idea what they were talking about.

"Girls!" a female voice called out from downstairs, getting all of their attentions, "Your sundaes are ready!" she told them, making Leslie's eyes suddenly light up excitedly.

"Sundaes?!" she exclaimed, starting to drool again as she imagined the deliciousness of such a treat, instantly forgetting what just conspired, "Come on, Lucarus!" she beckoned to the Steel/Fighting type, "Let's get some awesome sundaes!" she declared, quickly racing out of the room in an instant.

"R-Rah!" her Pokémon stammered in agreement, following her out.

"Yipee!" the young Hagane girl cried out as she and Ducksie exited the room excitedly, leaving just her sister and Raya behind.

"So, uh…" the latter of the two started to say, rubbing the back of her head nervously with her right hand while the requip user just smirked at her. She then took hold of her free left hand with her right, getting her attention as she was pulled off of the bed by her.

"Come on," she beckoned, "A good sundae'll cheer you up," she pointed out, poking her on the nose with her left index finger, making her blush on the spot. However, the half-rainbow haired girl smiled as they both headed out together, heading downstairs to enjoy their treats.

 **GINGKA'S JOURNEY**

 **PART I**

The Mistralton gym leader turned the faucet, letting the water flow down from the nozzle and onto the messy bowls, causing the residue upon them to spread out while they filled up with liquid. As she washed them out, scrubbing them with a soapy sponge, the front door opened, catching her attention while she looked up to see her husband, a tall man with shaggy, spiky red hair, wearing a long sleeved blue coat and black pants. The white scarf around his neck had shredded ends, as he also sported two belts around his waist; one brown and one red. They held his various items such as his launcher, his sword hilt, a pouch for his beyblade, and a few Poké Balls. On top of that, he had brown, fingerless gloves over his hands, with the left one having a mysterious stone embedded into it.

"Well, I was wondering what took you so long…" his wife muttered as she removed a few of the rinsed bowls from the sink, placing them in the dishwasher beside it within the counter.

"Sorry, dear," the beyblader apologized, walking over to her as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Ben just needed my help with a few things out in another universe for a bit," he told her, approaching and embracing her in a loving hug, which she immediately returned. "So," he continued as they looked deeply into each other's eyes, "anything happen while I was away?" he asked, kissing her on the lips quickly before she responded.

"Well," she began, going back to her work on the dirty dishes, "your daughter's apparently inherited our tactics…" she told him, taking out the other two cleaned bowls, putting them into the dishwasher.

"Tactics?" Gingka questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion while Skyla giggled.

"She told me she dropped her towel in front of Raya and requipped into her PJs before she could see anything," she explained, causing the beyblader to widen his eyes in surprise, "You should've seen the look on the poor girl's face!" she added, laughing aloud, "She was as red as your hair!" she noted, quieting her laughter to a softer giggle while she placed her left hand over her quivering lips.

"So, she really likes Raya, huh?" her husband pointed out as he took a rinsed plate from the sink and placed it into the dishwasher.

"Of course she likes her," the Mistralton gym leader responded, as she put away a few more silver utensils, "Raya was her best friend growing up…" she mentioned, smiling at the memory of the two girls as she noticed a portrait of them on the wall across from where she was. It pictured them as younger girls running through a grassy field together in sky blue dresses, grinning widely as the Hagane of the two was holding the Tennyson girl's right hand with her left.

"I know that," Gingka noted as he embraced her from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck gently, "But I always get the feeling that she really 'like' likes her…" he admitted, causing his wife to blink in surprise for a moment.

"Well, if that's the case," she started to say, twisting the faucet in the opposite direction, making the water stop flowing down through the nozzle, "who are we to stand in her way?" she questioned, turning back towards the beyblader, "She's our daughter after all…" she added, causing him to smile in agreement.

"Let's just hope Erza doesn't give her the Seduction Armor…" he muttered with a raised eyebrow. Without warning afterwards, a spatula smacked him on the center of his forehead. "DAH!" he yelped in pain, stumbling back as he put his hand up to his head, grimacing. He then looked out to see Skyla with the cooking utensil in her right hand, glancing at him angrily as she placed both of her extremities at her hips.

"Don't you dare bring that image of our daughter in something like that!" she demanded with a reddening face, making him cringe.

"R-Right, right…" he stammered in repetition, holding his hands out in a placating manner as he waved them, "Sorry, dear…" he apologized sheepishly. She let out a big sigh in response, but then smiled, going over to her husband and wrapping her arms around him, kissing him right on the lips with closed eyes. He did the same back after a moment of astonishment, deepening the kiss as his wife put the spatula back into the sink. Upstairs in the meantime, Sky and Ducksie were in one of the other bedrooms, fast asleep as they both lied upon a small bed with pink covers. The little girl's short hair sprawled out over the white pillow while she snoozed without a sound. Her Water Bird Pokémon was on the cushion beside her, having her wings tucked in and her webbed feet underneath her bluish feathers. Meanwhile, Rachael, Raya, and Leslie were back in the former's room, with the Lucario of the Pokémon Trainer's napping on the carpeted floor where they all sat.

"Boy, Lucarus sure went out like a light…" the half-rainbow haired girl noted while her white haired friend took out the Steel/Fighting type's Poké Ball, returning him to it in a red beam of luminosity.

"Speaking of going out," she began, shrinking the containment before rolling it off to the side, "I wish Sky didn't have to go to sleep so soon…" she complained, placing her hands onto her cheeks in a disappointed manner.

"She's gotta get her rest for tomorrow," the older Hagane girl pointed out to the Ketchum girl as she licked her lips, which had evident residue of chocolate syrup, "Since my mom's got her first day off in a while," she continued, "it's the perfect time for her to help train Sky," she pointed out, glancing up at the ceiling with a grin on her face, "Besides," she kept going, looking back at her friends, "she's only less than a year away from turning ten," she mentioned, causing the two girls with her to smile brightly.

"URP!" Leslie suddenly belched, making her immediately clasp both of her hands over her mouth out of embarrassment as her face turned a hearty red. Her two pals were quite surprised, having widened eyes at the burp that practically came out of nowhere. However, they all started laughing, amused by the bodily reaction. "Boy, those sundaes sure were great…" the Pokémon trainer remembered as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, blushing all the while.

"Mom always knows how to make 'em!" the requip user claimed, grinning brightly, "So," she continued, "whaddaya wanna do now?" she asked her friends as they were still giggling slightly over the loud hiccup their pal let out.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed in realization as she thought of something, much to the shock of the hooded vest wearing girl beside her, "How 'bout 'Truth or Dare'?" she suggested, having an excited smile plastered on her face. The ponytailed girl cringed in fright while the scarlet haired female just an arched an eyebrow, noticing her acquaintance's scared reaction.

"Uh… I think that's a little girly for us…" she confessed to the white haired girl, allowing Raya to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Aw…" the Ketchum girl groaned in frustration, letting her arms droop down to the floor.

"What do you think we should do, Raya?" Rachael asked the half-rainbow haired girl, who blinked out of surprise as she turned to face her.

"Um… well…" she tried to say, thinking carefully about what her friends would like, "how about… some stories?" she offered nervously, unsure of what the other two would think.

"That's a great idea!" the older Hagane girl replied, making her half-rainbow haired pal smile happily in relief.

"Eh… I dunno…" Leslie admitted, catching both of their attentions as they looked to see her cross her arms while she closed her eyes in thought, "Scary stories usually end up being so boring…" she pointed out, glancing away for a moment.

"Oh, I don't wanna tell any scary stories," the requip user reassured, causing her to immediately perk up and have a wide grin of excitement on her face.

"Well, why didn't ya say so?" she questioned back, standing up and running over to her backpack, taking out a Great Ball from it.

"Uh, Les?" the ponytailed girl uttered in confusion as she and the scarlet haired female saw her enlarge the containment in her hands by pressing its center button, "What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just give me _one_ second!" she responded, throwing the spherical container up into the air. It popped open, with the white and blue light streaming out from it and forming onto the floor between her two friends, much to their surprise. As the bright luminosity dissipated, it revealed a Magmortar sitting down, with his flames dancing upon his shoulders and head.

"Mag?" he said, perplexed as to why he was called out by his trainer in the middle of the room, while the two females beside him were also wondering the same thing. They then saw the Pokémon trainer run over to the door, quickly flicking the light switch, making the luminosity in the room suddenly go out.

"Leslie, what are you-?"

"Okay, we're ready!" the Ketchum girl stated, interrupting Rachael as she went back to her friends, lying down on the carpeted floor on her stomach. She put her hands onto her cheeks while waving her legs back and forth excitedly. The three persons before her all glanced at each other, completely unaware of what had just conspired. "What?" the white haired girl questioned innocently, not sure as to why her friends seemed so surprised.

"Why'd you bring out Mortalius and turn off the lights?" Raya asked in response, seeing that the Blast Pokémon was the only source of luminosity and warmth in the room.

"Mag... mor…" he muttered, crossing his tubular arms in suspicion towards his trainer.

"Well, we're telling stories like it's a campfire, right?" she pointed out to them, smiling, "I just figured we should make it seem like one!" she told them, giggling. The half-rainbow haired girl glanced towards her scarlet haired friend, who just shrugged with a smile, knowing that the girl was just being enthusiastic to hear some good stories.

"Mortar…" the Fire type sighed, feeling as if he was just being used as a light source for the girls.

"All right," Rachael said, catching their attentions as she moved over a bit so that she could see everyone around her, "I'll go first," she offered, getting nods of agreement from the others, including the Magmortar, who was just brought into the situation out of nowhere.

"So, whaddaya gonna tell us about, Rae?" Leslie asked, excited to learn what her friend's story would be.

"It's something my dad told me a few years ago," the requip user responded, leaning back as she looked up at the ceiling, "Back when he was young, he was just getting started with learning about Mega Evolution," she explained, as the white haired girl widened her eyes at the mention of the last two words of her sentence.

"Ugh!" she groaned loudly, puffing her cheeks as she got the others' attentions.

"What's wrong now, Les?" the hooded vest wearing girl asked, arching an eyebrow again out of worry as she saw her look away.

"I always hate hearing about how… _great_ Mega Evolution is…" she replied angrily, "Every time Dylan brings it up, he just _has_ to brag about his Lucario and Blastoise having it!" she noted, sighing afterwards out of exasperation, "It's so overrated…" she grumbled while her companions watched on with perplexed and concerned expressions.

"Ahem," the scarlet haired girl fake coughed, bringing the focus back to her as the Ketchum female realized that she had a story to tell.

"Oh!" she yelped, "Uh… continue…" she said politely with a sheepish grin towards her.

"So anyways," she restarted with a deep breath, "this was back when my dad was still a new Mega Evolution user," she told the ones around her, "and when he and my mom were dating," she added, "It was the first time he lost to someone in a battle with his Mega Evolved Scizor…" she pointed out, with the memory flowing into her mind.

 **X STORY X**

"…And that's how it is," Gingka finished as he looked back at the video screen where his girlfriend was pictured.

" _That's great!_ " she responded with an excited look on her face, " _Well… it's great that the dating rule's gone…_ " she corrected, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, " _Not so sure about all the other stuff…_ " she admitted, looking away out of sympathy.

"I know…" her boyfriend agreed, glancing off to the side, seeing a few people sitting down on the benches within the Pokémon Center where he was, "They say Korra's gonna out for a while," he told her, "but I'm not sure how long that's gonna be…" he confessed, crossing his arms in thought.

" _You can't keep worrying so much about it though,_ " Skyla noted, catching his attention as he turned his focus back onto the screen, " _Everybody else is going through the same thing, too_ ," she pointed out, making him smile, " _Besides,_ " she continued, " _now I get to spend time with you in other universes again,_ " she added, giggling happily.

"Yeah, and-"

" _Even though…_ " the Mistralton gym leader started to say, interjecting on the beyblader's sentence as he blinked in surprise, " _I never really had a problem with the Omni Force's dating rule…_ " she said, looking up on the screen.

"R-Really?" Gingka stammered in question, scratching his right cheek nervously with his index finger, "I-I mean… I thought you'd be upset that you couldn't go along with me…" he admitted, blushing out of embarrassment.

" _You're the one who's always going out on journeys alone here…_ " his girlfriend retorted, placing her hands at her hips in a defiant manner, " _I've got the gym to worry about after all,_ " she mentioned, causing him to chuckle sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand. Just then, the sliding doors to the building's emergency rooms opened, with Nurse Joy, her Wigglytuff, and a Scizor coming out of it. The latter of the three adjusted his black left shoulder strap, where his Scizorite was embedded, completely secured. He then took notice of his trainer at the video phone, still chatting away with Skyla. Smiling, he raced over to him, getting his attention as he looked up from his conversation to see him.

"Hey, Scizor!" he greeted, giving the Pincer Pokémon a quick fist bump, which he returned, "You doin' okay?" he asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Zor!" he replied with a grin, just as the doctor and her assistant walked over.

"Your Scizor looks just fine," the former of the two workers reassured, smiling.

"Wiggly!" the Normal type concurred with a nod.

"Thank you very much," the beyblader said to them out of gratitude with a bow. Afterwards, both nurses departed, leaving the Bug/Steel type to be with his trainer as the Mistralton gym leader looked at the two with a grin coming across her face on the screen.

" _Hi, Scizor!_ " she greeted with a wave, catching his attention as he and Gingka turned back to face her.

"Si sciz!" he responded waving his right pincer, causing the shaggy haired teen to grin as he placed his right hand at his hip.

"Scizor went through a lot when we were up against the Red Lotus," he mentioned to his girlfriend, "I've been making sure he's gotten checked out every time we visit a Pokémon Center," he explained, gesturing towards his partner.

" _You don't have to do that every time…_ " she pointed out with a stern expression, crossing her arms.

"Zor…" the Pincer Pokémon concurred, glancing blankly at his trainer, who chuckled nervously as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

" _So, what are you planning on doing now?_ " Skyla asked her boyfriend, changing the subject.

"I think I'm gonna head back to Lumiose City and meet up with Professor Sycamore," he responded, having recomposed himself, "Settling down for a bit is probably the best thing to do after all this," he admitted, turning back to his Pokémon, who nodded in agreement, "And you can come by and visit," he pointed out, "since I probably won't be doing too much…" he mentioned to her, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

" _Well, if I wasn't stuck with taking care of the gym…_ " she began to mutter, causing the beyblader to cringe in realization, beginning to sweat again.

"N-No, I mean-" His stammering plea was interrupted as he heard his girlfriend giggling uncontrollably.

" _I'm just kidding, Gingka!_ " she told him, wrapping her arms around her torso while she kept on laughing, making the shaggy haired teen groan out of exasperation as his Pokémon snickered at his trainer's misfortune, " _It's not gonna be easy to do,_ " the Mistralton gym leader admitted, " _but I'll ask my grandpa to close down the gym for a week so I can swing by,_ " she promised, brushing her reddish hair back.

"That sounds great," her boyfriend confessed in response, reaching his right hand out towards the buttons on the keypad of the video phone, "All right, Skyla," he began to say, "I'll see you soon," he stated, "Love you," he mentioned, smiling brightly. His girlfriend did blush a little, placing her hands onto her cheeks while looking at him seductively through the screen.

" _Love you, too,_ " she replied, blowing him a kiss before the video feed shut off completely, with the screen disappearing in a flash of light.

"Sciz…" Scizor uttered, impressed at his trainer's tenacity to deal with such a female.

"Huh…" he sighed in relief, turning away from the phone, "She always knows how to get me…" he admitted, glancing away with a sheepish blush across his cheeks. The Bug/Steel type couldn't help but grin and chuckle again, placing his right pincer over his mouth to hide his amusement.

"We're really going to the Hoenn region?!" a feminine sounding voice exclaimed out of shock, catching the Pincer Pokémon's attention, along with Gingka. They both turned to see a young girl red hair under a green cap with a ponytail walking towards them while a raven haired, tall teenager and a Chespin trotted beside her. The girl had a yellow sweater on under a green collar around her neck and reddish overalls from her green shorts. She also bore reddish brown shoes and carried a heavy looking orange backpack. The boy beside her was significantly taller, having messy black hair and blue eyes, sporting a pair of baggy grey pants, a black leather jacket, black boots and fingerless gloves, and a blue shirt with a white undershirt. Also, he wore a pale blue scarf that closely resembled a collar of bubbles. Along with that, he had a strange, black bracelet upon his left wrist.

"Zor?" Scizor uttered in surprise, noticing that the ring had a Key Stone embedded into it, similar to the one his trainer had on his left glove.

"It's where I've been assigned for my next mission…" the raven haired teen told the girl beside him, not batting an eye towards her as he moved along, "Not sure why though," he admitted, keeping his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Can we come, too?!" she asked excitedly, clasping her extremities together in hoping he would say yes.

"Che ches!" the Spiny Nut Pokémon agreed, equally as jubilant about the prospect of the new journey. The tall boy with them just sighed deeply

"Not like I have a choice…" he muttered in reply, causing the girl to puff her cheeks angrily, turning her head away out of frustration.

"Pin…" the Grass type sighed, concerned for his trainer's well being. Just then, he suddenly felt himself trip over something, being the Pincer Pokémon's right foot.

"Sciz?" he said, taking notice of the Chespin falling flat onto his stomach right before him.

"Hey, you all right, little guy?" the beyblader asked as he also saw what had conspired, kneeling down to check on the starter Pokémon.

"Oh, Chespie!" his trainer cried out upon noticing, making the teen beside her stop as she quickly went over to see if her partner was okay. He then walked over to see the Spiny Nut Pokémon sit back up, shaking his head to recompose himself before rubbing it with his right hand sheepishly.

"Che pin…" he uttered apologetically to the Steel/Bug type before him, who just grinned after blinking for a moment.

"Sorry about that…" the red haired girl apologized to the shaggy haired teen, picking up the Grass type in her arms, while he stood back up.

"It's all right," he reassured, "You know, I've never seen a Chespin before…" he admitted, looking at the starter Pokémon more closely.

"Che!" he sounded off in greeting, making his trainer smile brightly.

"Chespie here's my number one partner in Kalos!" she declared proudly as she looked at him, "And pretty soon, he's gonna be my number one in Hoenn!" she stated, giggling excitedly while the creature in her arms just grinned in agreement, "Oh!" she exclaimed in realization, holding her right hand out to the boy before her, "My name's Mairin, by the way," she introduced to him.

"Gingka," he responded, taking her hand and shaking it firmly, "I'm still a little new to the region," he admitted, "so not everything's familiar to me yet…"

"Well, I hope things get familiar for ya soon!" the cap wearing female told him with a smile while the raven haired teen trotted over to them, catching her attention, "And, uh…" she started to say while she relinquished her extremity just as he stopped beside her, "this is my… friend, Alain," she introduced in a somewhat unsure manner, gesturing towards him.

"Uh… nice to meet you," the beyblader said, reaching his right hand out to the boy. After a moment of consideration, he grasped it with his own, shaking it in a polite manner.

"Yeah," he replied, letting off a slight grin. While his trainer chuckled upon the awkward introduction, Scizor continued to glance back and forth at the Key Stone that was on his master's glove and the one embedded into the other teen's ring. Feeling somewhat appalled, he nudged the shaggy haired boy with his right arm, getting his attention.

"What's the matter, Scizor?" he asked him, confused as he raised his right eyebrow, relinquishing his hand in the meantime.

"Si Sciz!" he responded, gesticulating at the teen's left wrist, enticing him to look over at it, widening his eyes in surprise.

"A Key Stone?" he questioned quietly out of shock. Alain then took notice of the one on the beyblader's glove, also having his pupils shrink in astonishment.

"Che, chespin!" Chespie suddenly pointed out to his trainer, having seen the Scizorite embedded into the Pincer Pokémon's shoulder strap.

"Huh?" she uttered in confusion, blinking for a moment before registering what the object was, "Hey, Alain," she began to the raven haired teen beside her, catching his attention, "isn't that a Mega Stone?" she asked, gesturing towards the Bug/Steel type's black piece of clothing as he then looked at it.

"Yeah, it is," he replied, glancing back at Gingka, "So your Scizor can Mega Evolve?" he guessed to him.

"Uh, yeah…" he responded, somewhat surprised still about meeting a fellow user of the ancient ability. Without warning, the teen before him crossed his left arm over his chest, showing off his black ring.

"Let's battle," he declared with a determined look in his eyes, much to the astonishment of those around him.

"W-Wait a sec…" the beyblader stammered pleadingly, holding out both of his hands in a placating manner, "Don't you guys have somewhere to be?" he questioned as he scratched his right cheek, remembering how excited Mairin sounded about traveling to the Hoenn region.

"We're not in a rush," Alain responded as the girl and the Chespin among them glanced back and forth at the two trainers, "Besides," he continued, "this won't take too long…" he stated, much to the shaggy haired teen's surprise. He looked back at his opponent skeptically, believing that he was underestimating him, as was his partner Pokémon. A while later, out in a open dirt field far away from the rest home, the two trainers were standing at opposite sides while the red haired girl and her Grass type were sitting on a rock just before the earth, anticipating the exciting match to come. The Pincer Pokémon jumped out in front of his trainer, getting into a ready stance for battle.

"Why aren't we using the field back at the Pokémon Center?" Gingka asked as he saw Alain pull out a Poké Ball from the fanny pack on his belt behind his back.

"I'm sure you've seen how powerful Mega Evolutions can be," he replied, enlarging the containment after pressing its center button with his right index finger, "We wouldn't want to cause them any trouble," he noted, reeling his arm back.

' _Point taken,_ ' the beyblader concurred inwardly. He then saw his foe throw the spherical container into the air, letting it spin around for a moment before it popped open. The light that spilled forth from it went down to the ground, forming into a dragon-like shape until it dissipated, revealing a Charizard who roared loudly into the air. ' _A Charizard?_ ' the shaggy haired teen questioned through his thoughts. He then took notice of the rather significantly decorated neck brace the Flame Pokémon had, which depicted strange shapes along it with a blue stone that had curved markings as its centerpiece that were similar to his partner's, except in different colors. ' _So Charizard can Mega Evolve…_ ' he muttered to himself.

"Si!" the Bug/Steel type cried out, breaking his trainer's train of thought as he regained his focus, clenching his left fist.

"Right," he realized, "No point in waiting around," he stated, folding his left arm across his chest, "Let it rip, Scizor!" he called out, tapping the Key Stone upon his glove with his right fingers, "Mega Evolve!" he exclaimed as bright streaks of yellow light emerged from it. At the same time, blue streaks of luminosity came out of the Scizorite upon the Pincer Pokémon's shoulder strap, moving about and connecting with the ones from the Key Stone. They turned a bright white, shining as a multicolored aura surrounded the Bug/Steel type. His pincers lengthened and developed serrations while the lower half of his claws turned white and gained three pointed spikes on the underside. His eyespots were now becoming blue with a thin black rim. In addition, pieces of black armoring appeared on various areas of his body: a three-pointed crest on his forehead, striated coverings on his shoulders, and unmarked coverings on his thighs. His legs now resembled large, tapered spikes with white tips. A burst of wind came upon the finishing of his transformation as he shouted into the air.

"Zor!" he yelled, directing his chainsaw shaped pincers towards his opponent.

"Let's do this, Charizard," the raven haired teen told his partner, who nodded in reply with a mere growl, "Respond to my heart, Key Stone!" he commanded, tapping the solid upon his Mega Ring with his fingers, "Beyond evolution!" he added as the yellow streaks of light emerged from it, "Mega Evolve!" he declared, throwing his arm into the air as the blue lights from his Pokémon's Mega Stone began to merge with the ones from the Key Stone, turning white. In a multicolored aura, the Fire/Flying type morphed, with his body and legs becoming more physically fit, though his arms remained thin. His skin was turning black with a sky blue underside extending from the lower jaw to the tip of the tail. Two spikes with blue tips curved upward from the front and back of each shoulder, while the tips of his horns sharpened, turning blue, and arching slightly upward. His brow and claws became larger, his snout was shorter, and his eyes were now red with white pupils. He also gained two small, fin-like spikes under each horn and two more down his lower neck. The lower trims of his wings were divided into large, rounded points and each third joint was adorned with a claw-like spike. As the multicolored light left his body, he roared loudly into the air while a burst of wind blew out upon the completion of his transformation, breezing strongly past Scizor and his trainer, making them flinch. The now morphed Fire/Dragon type breathed blue flames out from the sides of his mouth, and the flame on his tail now burned blue with increased heat.

"Whoa…" Gingka uttered in absolute disbelief, having his pupils shrink as his opponent seemed to be quite intimidating. The Pincer Pokémon also had a somewhat frightened look upon his face, but he retained his position, looking back at the beyblader.

"Zor, sci!" he cried out to him, catching his attention.

"Right," he responded, regaining his focus, "Let's get this started!" he declared, clenching his fists, "Use Bullet Punch!" he ordered. The Mega Evolved Bug/Steel type then raced forward, with his serrated pincers turning a silvery white as he aimed them at the opposing Charizard.

"Wow, that's fast!" Mairin noted out of astonishment.

"Che…" Chespie agreed, seeing Scizor about to hit the Flame Pokémon.

"Counter it with Steel Wing!" his trainer called out to him. He then leapt up, with his wings expanding outward as they glowed in a metal-grey light. Spinning around, he struck his foe's shining pincers with them, causing the two to be at a stalemate for a moment before they both were blown back, hitting the ground and skidding across it for a moment, with Scizor sliding back more so. His master's eyes widened in surprise at how his partner's move was easily thwarted, but disregarded it with a shake of his head.

"Again!" he yelled, enticing the Pincer Pokémon to lunge out with his still glowing claws towards his opponent. However, he counteracted with his shining, metal-grey wings, deflecting each strike without much effort. He then span around, catching the Bug/Steel type at his neck with his right wing, sending him careening down to the ground, smashing into it as a fluffy of dust followed. "Scizor!" the beyblader cried out in worry before the dirt cloud cleared, revealing his Pokémon cringing in pain as he lied within a crater on his back.

"Now use Flamethrower!" Alain suddenly commanded, getting his attention as he grimaced in fright. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon reeled his head back in midair and then threw it back forward, spewing large blue flames that were directly for his enemy.

"Dodge it!" Gingka yelled immediately out of shock. His partner immediately took notice of the oncoming fire, jumping aside and speeding away with his thin, bug-like wings. Charizard kept on pursuing him, still shooting flames as he maneuvered out of the way each time. His trainer gritted his teeth in frustration, clenching his fists. "Flash Cannon!" he ordered. The Pincer Pokémon then turned around as the Fire/Dragon type ceased his attack, landing onto the ground, planting himself into it thanks to his tapered legs. Opening his pincers and putting them together before his face, aiming them at his foe. Suddenly, bright white beams of light emerged out of both of them, heading directly for his opponent. However, he threw his hands out, taking the attack as he was managing to block it. In a huge burst of wind, the light dissipated, revealing that the Flame Pokémon was barely damaged from the attack.

"RRROOOOAAAAHHHH!" he roared loudly while the beyblader and the Pincer Pokémon gasped in shock.

"No way…" the former of the two uttered in disbelief. Then, he noticed a blue aura appearing to show upon his foe's Pokémon, seeing that it was going down his body.

' _So we lowered his Special Defense,_ ' he realized inwardly, regaining his composure, ' _Good,_ ' he said to himself, ' _If Scizor can get a few Air Slashes in, we might be able to win this,_ ' he noted, seeing the Bug/Steel type still cringing out of fear at his opponent's strength.

"Don't back down now, Scizor!" his trainer called out to him, catching his attention, "Use Air Slash!" he commanded.

"Sciz!" the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon responded, leaping up from the ground and crossing his pincers, letting them glow a bright white. He then swung them outward, firing several shuriken-like discs of energy towards Charizard.

"Dragon Claw!" Alain ordered, closing his right hand into a fist. The Fire/Dragon type's hands became covered in a light blue aura, resembling the shape of huge claws over his own. He swung the right one down onto the energy discs, slicing them apart as they burst into thin air, much to the shock of his foe and his trainer. However, the latter of the two shook his head to cease his doubts, keeping his confidence intact.

"X-Scissor!" he yelled to his partner.

"Zor!" he responded, opening his pincers again before crossing them once more, having them glow in a light blue light. A magenta shaped x then appeared before them as he lunged out at the Flame Pokémon. However, he counterattacked with just his aura covered left claw, being at a stalemate as the Bug/Steel type cringed in astonishment.

' _With just one?!_ ' Gingka exclaimed inwardly out of disbelief upon witnessing his partner's attack get blocked.

"Now, Charizard!" the raven haired teen called out. The Fire/Dragon type then readied his free right claw, swinging it out and striking his foe, knocking him away easily.

"Scizor!" the beyblader cried out in immediate worry.

"Flamethrower!" Alain then commanded, making him grimace again. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon spewed more blue flames from his mouth, coming into direct contact with his opponent, causing him to cry out in pain.

"ZZZORRR!" he screamed, plummeting to the earth as his body had become ravaged with scrapes.

"Scizor!" his trainer yelled, seeing him crash into the ground with a flurry of dust to follow.

"Oh, wow…" Mairin uttered out of shock, seeing Charizard land back on the ground, right before the raven haired teen.

"Pin…" Chespie concurred, equally as impressed with the battle. As the dust settled, it revealed the Pincer Pokémon struggled to get back up as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"Dang it…" his trainer muttered, frustrated at easily they were being beaten. He then looked over to see the serious and unchanged, serious expression on Alain's face, making him gain one as well.

' _Right…_ ' he uttered to himself, ' _We're not done just yet!_ ' he declared in his head.

"Scizor, Air Slash!" he demanded. The Bug/Steel type mustered up all his strength to stand, leaping up and crossing his pincers once more as they glowed a bright white. He then swung them outward, firing off more shuriken-like energy discs towards the Fire/Dragon type.

"Blast Burn!" the raven haired teen ordered, making both his opponent and the Pincer Pokémon widen their eyes in shock. The Flame Pokémon's body suddenly became engulfed in blue flames as he roared into the air. He closed his right hand into a fist and punched the ground with it, sending a wave of energy into the earth. Without warning, the air infused discs dissipated into thin air, while red-orange light was emerging from the cracking ground beneath his foe.

"Quick, get away!" Gingka cried out in panic. Scizor immediately began hoping from one platform to another as the ground disintegrated, but just as he reached one, the light around him intensified, making him realize too late as a sudden explosion of red-orange flames engulfed him. "Scizor!" his trainer yelled, grimacing as he felt the force of the wind from the impact. The spectators beside the field also felt it, holding onto their positions tightly as they clenched their teeth. The smoke then cleared soon afterwards, revealing the Bug/Steel type lying on the ground, ravaged with scrapes and bruises. In a bright flash of light, he morphed back into his original form, groaning in pain as he attempted to sit up. "Scizor!" the beyblader called out, rushing over to him quickly. In the meantime, another flash of light came from the other side of the field, as Charizard also transformed back to his regular form. His master then took out his Poké Ball, returning him to it in a beam of red light.

"That was amazing, Alain!" Mairin cried out, coming down from the rock she was upon, along with her Chespin as they both raced over to him while he put the containment away in his fanny pack, also pulling something out in the meantime.

"Scizor…" the shaggy haired teen uttered to his partner, who was barely managing to even open his eyes to see his trainer kneel down to check on him.

"Zor…" he said weakly, completely worn out from the battle.

"Here," the raven haired teen's voice chimed in, catching their attentions as Gingka caught something that was thrown his way. He opened his hand to see that it was an Oran Berry, making him smile out of relief.

"Thanks," he responded in gratitude, handing it off the Pincer Pokémon. He took it with his right claw, biting into it.

"Si, scizor!" he said delightedly, smiling as he was regaining his strength, taking another bite as his trainer grinned.

"You're not just new to the Kalos region…" Alain chimed in, catching his attention, "you're new to Mega Evolution, too, aren't you?" he inquired to him while his traveling companion and her Pokémon trotted over.

"Yeah, I guess so…" he answered, rubbing the back of his head, "Ever since I learned how with Scizor, we haven't had too many battles against other users…" he explained, looking back to see the Bug/Steel type take one final bite of the fruit in his claw, "You don't seem all that new to it though," he pointed out.

"You're right," the raven haired teen responded with a grin, "I wanna beat every Mega Evolution trainer I come across," he began to state, "so I alone can stand at the summit…" he declared with a clenched right fist. Both the beyblader and his Pokémon blinked in surprise at his reasoning, glancing at each other for a moment.

"That's an interesting goal…" the former of the two admitted, "Any reason why you wanna be _that_ strong?" he asked him.

"A reason's not important," he replied, much to the surprise of all those around him, "Mairin, come on," he beckoned to the girl as he turned around and began to walk away, "We're going," he told her, causing her to blink out of astonishment before registering what he had said.

"Uh, wait!" she cried out, jogging after him.

"Che!" Chespie yelled, following them as well. Gingka was a little perplexed as to why Alain didn't give him a sound reason to his goal, scratching his right cheek in confusion.

"Hey," the boy's voice said, catching his attention as he looked out to see him still heading off, "Why do _you_ wanna get stronger?" he asked, making him widen his eyes out of surprise, along with the Pincer Pokémon. As he saw them depart onto the pathway, the shaggy haired teen looked back at the Key Stone on his left glove, seeing it shine in the sunlight as he thought about the question put onto him.

 **X END STORY X**

"So how was that?" Rachael asked her friends, smiling brightly.

"That was amazing, Rae!" Raya responded with an excited look on her face, "Alain is Dylan's dad, right?" she questioned, getting a simple nod in response.

"Eh…" Leslie suddenly chimed in, having an unimpressed expression, "It was good, I guess…" she admitted, glancing away, "Could've been longer though…" she noted, acting seemingly disappointed.

"Mag?" Mortalius uttered out of being perplexed, confused with his trainer's demeanor.

"Oh, come on, Les!" the half-rainbow haired girl yelled at her, "It was a great story!" she claimed while the requip user just smiled, "So what if it wasn't that long?!" she asked angrily.

"It's okay, Raya," the scarlet haired girl reassured, catching her attention, "I know it wasn't all that long," she pointed out, glancing up at the ceiling, "That's why I've got another one to tell…" she told them with on her face, causing the ones before her to develop joyful expressions.

"All right!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed, getting up onto her feet and racing over to her bag, "Give me a sec, though…" she said, reaching into the knapsack and pulling out three Poké Balls and a Net Ball. She enlarged them all before tossing them up into the air, letting them pop open. The lights that spilled forth from each of them formed onto the floor right beside the Blast Pokémon, much to his surprise. As it dissipated, the luminosity revealed a Serperior, a Magnezone, a Krookodile, and a Walrein with him.

"Ser?" the Regal Pokémon uttered in confusion, wondering why his master called him out as he saw her hop over, lying down on the carpeted floor on her stomach again, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"Okay, we're ready!" she declared, smiling brightly as she waved her legs back and forth. The Tennyson girl and the older Hagane girl glanced at each other blankly before letting out nervous chuckles, with drops of sweat rolling down the sides of their faces.

 **END PART I**

 **Hooray! After finishing "Friendship Games: The Omni Force Crossover", it's so nice to get back into an easier swing of writing. Of course, the next chapter may take some time considering that I'm back in school on Monday, and I've got a lot of work to do for my classes.**

 **However, I will leave you guys with a small summary of the next chapter…**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Upon returning to Lumiose City, Gingka accepts an invitation for an exhibition match against Kalos' Champion, Diantha! Ash, Professor Sycamore and the others are cheering for him in the stands as he goes up against his toughest opponent yet! Even with type advantage, Scizor still has trouble keeping up with Gardevoir's speed! Will Gingka manage to defeat Diantha, or will something greater come out of this experience?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Folks, just a fair warning: after this next chapter, "The Mega Protocol" will go on hiatus for a while, at least until the Team Flare Arc of the XY &Z series concludes. I have a very special role thought up for Gingka in that arc, but I have yet to say it will happen, depending upon how things go with the series. **

**Also, be sure to vote in the poll for the new pairing you're most excited for! I'm personally excited to write about the Fairy Tail pairings of Ash X Mirajane and Gingka X Erza. In fact, "Resolve" is going to be the next fic I work on when "The Mega Protocol" goes on hiatus! Look forward to that, too!**

 **QUOTE:**

 _ **Things change, Ash. I just happen to be one of the things that's changed…**_

 _ **~Gingka Hagane,**_

 _ **To Ash in The Bonds of Evolution!**_


	2. Gingka's Journey PART II

**Welcome back, everybody! It's time for another part of "The Mega Protocol"! But before we go into it, I need to give out a small notice: This story will be going on hiatus by the end of this chapter. I have a general idea of what I want to do for the last part of Gingka's arc in the story, but I want to make it for sure at the end of the Team Flare/Zygarde arc, where he'll have his next battle against Alain. Again, I'm not sure if the anime will have space for me to make this a reality, so I'm not going to do it yet. And while this story's on hiatus, "Resolve" will be the next fic to get started on!**

 **I'm looking forward to writing it, because I've fallen in love with watching Fairy Tail for quite some time, and I can't wait to put down Ash X Mirajane and Gingka X Erza moments. There won't be a sneak peek for it in this chapter, but it'll come around eventually in December. In the meantime, let's back to "The Mega Protocol"!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

"ZZZONE…" the Magnezone buzzed as he floated over the girls and the Pokémon, with both it and the latter group unaware as to why they were called out by their trainer.

"So, are ya gonna start?" she asked, excited for the next story the older Hagane girl would tell. She and Raya glanced at one another with nervous looks, still confused as to why their friend brought out her whole team of Pokémon, minus Lucarus.

"Uh…" the former female of the two began with a concerned expression on her face, "you sure your team isn't gonna make the floor collapse?" she questioned, noticing how big some of the creatures were.

"Don't worry about it!" Leslie reassured with a grin, "Zoniac's always gonna be floating around," she started to point out as the Magnet Area Pokémon continued to hover overhead, "and Serpence, Mortalius, and Krookaro aren't that heavy…" she noted, with the Serperior, Magmortar, and Krookodile all glancing at each other in surprise and confusion.

"What about Reinardio?" the half-rainbow haired girl asked, gesturing towards the Walrein, who let a drop of sweat roll down the side of his head nervously while he tilted it.

"Eh… it's fine," his white haired haired trainer promised in reply, "Reinardio's not _that_ heavy," she added with a cheeky smile, causing the Ice Break Pokémon to widen his eyes in shock.

"Ray, wah wahl!" he yelled angrily, very offended by her comment as a tick mark appeared atop his head. The requip user sighed deeply, already tired of her friend's constant antics.

"So why's Lucarus sitting this one out?" she asked out of annoyance, narrowing her eyes towards the Ketchum girl.

"He wouldn't wanna hear a story about Mega Evolution..." she responded, turning her head away, "Besides," she kept going, "we don't even have a Mega Stone or a Key Stone…" she muttered, puffing her cheeks out of frustration.

"Ser…" the Regal Pokémon uttered in concern, while the rest of his teammates worriedly looked at their trainer.

"Who says you need 'em?" Raya questioned, chiming in and catching her friends' attentions, "You've beaten Dylan before without having it…" she noted, making her blink in realization, smiling afterwards.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she confessed, letting off a giggle, causing everyone to grin happily.

"So, Rachael," the Tennyson girl started to say, getting her attention, "what's the next story about your dad gonna be?" she asked, quite curious, as were the others.

"I think the next one should be one of his biggest battles ever as a Mega Evolution user," the scarlet haired girl explained in reply, "The time he faced the Kalos Champion, Diantha," she stated.

"Diantha?!" Leslie exclaimed in surprise with widened, "Wow…" she uttered, "I know Dylan's planning on fighting her at some point…" she mentioned, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Did your dad win that battle?" the half-rainbow haired girl questioned to her best friend.

"Nah, he didn't," she responded, causing her to widen her eyes out of surprise, "But he's always told me that it was one of the best days of his life…" she pointed out, recalling the story as it flowed into her mind, "It was when he finally had an answer to Alain's question," she said, taking a deep breath, inhaling and then exhaling.

 **GINGKA'S JOURNEY**

 **PART II**

 **X STORY X**

The beyblader adjusted his left glove, making sure it was secure on his hand as he walked down the long, dark hallway. Shining at the end of it was a bright light, causing him to squint for a moment before he went into it. He shielded his eyes from the luminosity until he heard the sounds of intense cheering, enticing him to look out and see the gigantic crowd within the stadium, roaring in excitement. His mouth was somewhat agape as he awed the immense population within the place, all excited for the battle that was to come. He then trotted forward, getting himself at one end of the dirt battlefield before him. Glancing over, he saw a referee with two flags in his hands at the sideline, having one green and one red. He then turned his attention to the other side of the field, where another tunnel led to the position his opponent would stand. Suddenly, he took notice of a figure coming out from the shadows of the hallway, making him develop a grin on his face while he heard the crowd roar again.

' _I almost forgot how exciting this was…_ ' he thought to himself as he saw the Kalos Champion, Diantha, going over to her position on the battlefield, waving to the people in the stands with a smile on her face. Gingka just clenched his fists, letting his excitement build up within him while also maintaining a serious expression on his face. He turned his attention back to the stands, seeing his longtime teammate in Ash, along with Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, and his Sylveon, all seated and ready to witness the battle. The shaggy haired teen took a deep breath, remembering how he met with the group earlier before the battle.

 **X FLASHBACK X**

 _"This is awesome!" the raven haired Pokémon trainer exclaimed as he stood up, with the Electric type jumping onto his right shoulder, "And I thought our stay in Lumiose couldn't get any better…" he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly._

 _"Heh," his Omni Force teammate chuckled while he remained seated, "I don't blame ya, Ash," he told him, glancing over at his Fairy type, who was using her ribbon extensions to play with the Antenna Pokémon, "I honestly never thought Diantha would accept my challenge," he confessed._

 _"How come?" the inventor asked as he adjusted his glasses, "She knows that you fought against Alder before, right?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion._

 _"I guess it's because I've changed over the years," Gingka answered as he petted Sylveon on the head, catching her attention as she looked up at him, "I used to be as spunky and excited as Ash is…" he mentioned, causing his friend to perk up instantly and laugh, blushing out of embarrassment while the others just smiled, "Nowadays, I'm usually the more serious kind of guy…" he admitted, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belts, "Back when I asked Diantha for a battle, I only did it just because I was toe to toe with another Champion," he explained while the others gave off concerned looks towards him, "But I realized that battling her for the experience and thrill would be better than just battling a Champion," he told them, making them all grin in agreement. Suddenly, a buzzing sound went off through the loudspeaker in the locker room, catching their attentions as they all turned to see it._

 _"Gingka Hagane," a voice announced through it, "please report to the battlefield," it stated, "Your match with Diantha will begin shortly," it added before cutting out with a beep._

 _"Guess that's your cue," Serena noted, giggling a little, "Come on, you guys!" she beckoned, "We gotta get good seats!" she told them, ready to head out._

 _"Hey, Bonnie," the beyblader began to the little Lumiose girl as her partner crawled into her yellow purse, catching her attention, "take good care of Sylveon for me," he advised, standing up as the Intertwining Pokémon walked over to her with him._

 _"Don't you worry!" she reassured with a big smile, "I'll make sure she's right as rain!" she quipped._

 _"Ne nay!" Dedenne agreed. The Fairy type however, was somewhat reluctant to leave her trainer's side, about wrap her feelers around his left arm. He pulled it away, causing her to look up at him in surprise._

 _"Sylvee?" she questioned, seating herself while she saw him place his hands on his knees._

 _"I'll see you after the battle," he promised, patting her on the head again, "And Bonnie'll be right by your side," he added, gesturing towards her. Sylveon still seemed a bit reluctant to go, but sighed, turning around and walking beside the blonde haired girl, heading out with her as she smiled brightly._

 _"Good luck, Gingka!" the rookie performer cried out before she exited alongside Clemont, his sister, and the Fairy type. The Pokémon trainer was about to follow them as well, jogging after his companions._

 _"Hey, Ash," his Omni Force teammate said, catching his and his partner's attentions as they both stopped and turned to face him._

 _"Yeah, Gingka?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow towards him._

 _"After the battle," he began to say, "I need to talk to you about something important," he told him, "Something I was gonna tell Ben about," he mentioned._

 _"Ben?" the raven haired boy uttered in surprise, having his eyes widen._

 _"Pika…" Pikachu responded with a confused shrug, unsure of what the beyblader was going to tell them._

 _"Like I said, I'll tell you later," he reassured, walking towards the long, dark hallway, "Wish me luck!" he called out, waving his right hand as he trekked on._

 _"Uh, yeah…" his comrade responded, still wondering what the beyblader had planned to speak with him about._

 **X END FLASHBACK X**

"Huh…" Gingka breathed, pushing the memory aside as he saw his opponent take her position on the battlefield.

"Now," the referee at the sideline began, causing the crowd to settle down while he caught their attentions, along with those of the two trainers on the field, "the exhibition battle between Kalos Champion Diantha and Challenger Gingka is about to begin!" he announced loudly, making the spectators all cheer excitedly, "Each trainer will use one Pokémon, and there will be no substitutions," he explained.

" _Folks, this is sure to be a real rouser of a battle!_ " a voice declared through the loudspeaker, " _The one challenging Kalos' Champion Master is a trainer who recently won the Unova League tournament in Gingka Hagane!_ " he pointed out to the crowd, " _And with the potential strength his selected Pokémon may have…_ " he continued, " _this battle could go either way!_ " he exclaimed.

"Sure can!" Ash concurred, pumping his right fist as his partner sat in his lap.

"Pika pi!" he agreed.

"Obviously, Gingka's going to battle with Scizor," Clemont mentioned as he and the others continued to look down at the battlefield.

"And I bet Diantha'll use Gardevoir," Serena added, sitting between him and Bonnie, while Sylveon was on the left of the little girl.

"This is definitely going to be interesting…" the Lumiose gym leader noted while he pushed his glasses back, adjusting them as they shined from the sunlight, "Gardevoir's a Psychic and Fairy type, while Scizor's a Bug and Steel type," he pointed out, seeing both trainers each pull out a single Poké Ball into their hands, enlarging them by pressing their center buttons respectively.

"Steel types are strong against Fairy types, aren't they, bro?" his sister asked, chiming in on the conversation.

"If that's the case," the rookie performer began to say, "Gingka's got the advantage!" she declared excitedly, causing the others to smile in agreement.

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy though…" Ash admitted, much to the surprise of his traveling companions as they turned to face him and Pikachu, "You all remember how strong Diantha's Gardevoir was when she fought us," he mentioned, looking back at the battlefield.

"Pika…" the Mouse Pokémon uttered in agreement, recalling the event.

"Still…" his trainer continued, "I'm sure Gingka's gonna give her a great battle!" he exclaimed, clenching his right fist excitedly. On the field itself, both trainers reeled their respective right arms back, ready to throw their spherical containments into the air.

"Let it rip, Scizor!" the beyblader cried out, launching his out of his hand.

"Gardevoir," the Kalos Champion began as she readied her own extremity, "let's show the crowd a fantastic battle!" she stated, firing the container up into the sky. Both Poké Balls then popped open, with the light from each one pouring down onto the dirt field below, forming into the creatures themselves. As it dissipated, the luminosity revealed the Pincer Pokémon on his trainer's side of the field, while at the other section, the light vanished to reveal the Embrace Pokémon standing before her master, wearing a golden pendant around her neck, having a Mega Stone embedded into it that shone in the sunlight.

" _It appears both trainers have selected their Pokémon!_ " the announcer shouted through the loudspeaker, " _With that said, let's get this battle started!_ " he declared, making the crowd cheer excitedly.

"Are both of you ready to begin?" the referee asked the two fighters, raising the green flag in his right hand into the air.

"Of course," Diantha responded.

"Ready!" Gingka replied, developing a serious expression on his face.

"Gar," the Psychic/Fairy type uttered in agreement, staring down her opponent.

"Zor!" he exclaimed, snapping his claws in an attempt to intimidate his enemy, glaring back at her ferociously.

"Let the battle… BEGIN!" the official then declared, swinging his right arm down.

"All right, Scizor," the beyblader began, catching his attention, "use Bullet Punch!" he ordered. The Bug/Steel type then leapt forward, having his pincers glow in a silvery white light as he charged towards his foe.

"He's attacking already?!" the Lumiose gym leader yelled out of shock.

"And he isn't gonna Mega Evolve Scizor…?" Serena questioned, raising an eyebrow out of confusion while the Pokémon trainer beside her watched on. Back at the battlefield, Gardevoir glanced back at her master, who batted a single eye to her with a grin.

"Ga!" she responded as she understood her gesture, suddenly vanishing out of sight.

"Si?!" the Pincer Pokémon exclaimed in surprise, while his trainer widened his eyes in astonishment as well, seeing his partner, land on the ground, skidding to a halt.

' _It's just like when she battled Ash…_ ' he noted to himself, keeping his composure in check.

"Air Slash! Behind you!" he called out, getting Scizor's attention as he looked behind to see the Embrace Pokémon right before the beyblader. He quickly reacted and jumped up, having his claws become covered in a white light before he turned around and threw them out, launching several shuriken-like discs of energy towards his enemy. Some hit the ground while others appeared to barely miss the Psychic/Fairy type, creating a cloud of dust that shrouded her completely as more rained down. Unable to tell if his Pokémon's attack had struck, Gingka squinted, trying to see if he could find his opponent's partner.

"Shadow Ball!" Diantha suddenly commanded, much to his surprise as he perked up. Blasting through the dust cloud and making it immediately disperse was a black and purple ball of energy that had a black static crackling around it, launched by Gardevoir, and heading directly for the Bug/Steel type.

"Dodge it, quick!" his trainer cried out. He immediately reacted, somersaulting in midair to narrowly avoid the attack, landing on the dirt with his feet. "Now, X-Scissor!" the shaggy haired teen ordered. Crossing his claws across his chest, the Pincer Pokémon lunged out towards the Embrace Pokémon as they glowed in a bright blue light, with a magenta shaped x appearing before them. However, she suddenly vanished from his sight, much to his surprise.

"Zor?!" he exclaimed in shock, landing back on the ground and screeching to a halt, while his trainer had his eyes widened.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!" the Kalos Champion then commanded. Turning around too late, Scizor only caught a quick glance of the Psychic/Fairy type launching another black ball of energy at him, exploding on contact with a burst of smoke as he was blown back.

"SSSIII!" he yelled in pain, tumbling across the ground hard.

"Scizor!" Gingka cried out, seeing his partner come to a halt, lying on his stomach. As he struggled to push himself off of the ground, a blue aura shrouded his body, flowing down it while the beyblader took notice, gasping in surprise.

' _Shoot…_ ' he muttered to himself in realization, ' _Gardevoir's got the upper hand now that Scizor's Special Defense is down…_ ' he noted through his thoughts.

"Sci…" the Bug/Steel type groaned, grimacing in pain as he stood up. He then glanced out at his opponent, who eyed him down with a serious stare. Seeing her look caused him to clench his teeth in frustration, which his trainer took notice of.

' _That's right,_ ' he remembered, developing his own stern expression, ' _Scizor and I aren't gonna let this battle go down that easily!_ ' he declared inwardly.

"Bullet Punch!" he then cried out.

"Zzor!" the Pincer Pokémon buzzed in response, leaping forward as both of his claws became encased in a silvery white light. He was about to strike the Psychic/Fairy type with his right one, but all of a sudden, she vanished from his sight, causing him to screech to a halt on the ground once again, looking around to find her. She reappeared right behind him, catching his attention as he immediately turned around to try and hit her again, only to see her disappear yet. However, the force of his attempted attack blew by the beyblader, making him flinch in surprise as the sound of wind raced past his ears. Just then, he widened his eyes as he realized something.

' _Wait a sec…_ ' he uttered to himself, with an idea forming in his mind.

" _Folks, this battle's getting pretty intense!_ " the announcer declared over the microphone to the crowd, " _Despite type disadvantage,_ " he continued, " _Gardevoir's already got Scizor in trouble!_ " he exclaimed, " _Will the challenger's Pokémon be able to counter that kind of speed?!_ " he questioned loudly. From an observer's booth right next to the announcer's, Professor Sycamore and his two assistants, Sophie and Cosette, were watching the battle with intrigued looks in their eyes.

"So," the male of the researchers, "what'll you do now, Gingka?" he questioned to himself, smiling. The shaggy haired teen below had a composed expression upon his face, taking a deep breath.

"Scizor, keep on using Bullet Punch," he told his partner, who turned back to face him, somewhat surprised, "Trust me," he advised, "You'll get her this time," he promised, nodding to him. The Bug/Steel type nodded back, turning around and throwing out his right claw, creating a burst of wind while it struck nothing but air.

"My, my…" Diantha commented as the breeze from the attack rushed by her, causing a few parts of her dress and her hair to suddenly sway, "What is it you're planning now?" she questioned curiously, seeing the Pincer Pokémon continue his flurry of punches at the air. Meanwhile, far away in Mistralton City in the Unova region, the former gym leader Miles was sitting down upon a couch within a small home on the outskirts of town. He was grinning as he watched the battle between the Kalos Champion and the shaggy haired teen on the television before him.

"Well, isn't this exciting?" he noted to himself. Suddenly, the sound of a creaking door caught his attention as he turned his head to see his granddaughter walk inside, wearing her pilot's outfit while she rubbed her head out of fatigue.

"Aah…" she yawned, stretching her right arm into the air, "Hey, grandpa…" she muttered in greeting, rubbing her eyes with her left hand as she walked over to him.

"Another tough day of battles, I assume?" he guessed, seeing her plop down onto the couch beside him.

"Huh…" she sighed with a tired expression on her face, "You don't know the half of it, grandpa…" she told him, slouching into the cushions, "All these gym battles during the summer have been super tough…" she pointed out, yawning again.

"Of course that means you're giving it your best effort," Miles responded, "Seems your boyfriend's doing the same," he mentioned, causing her to instantly perk upon the mention of the one she was close to. She turned her attention to the television, seeing him with his eyes shut in concentration.

"Gingka…?" she uttered in confusion, wondering what exactly he was doing. Back at the arena, the beyblader continued to focus his hearing, while his partner was still striking nothing but air with his flurry of punches.

' _Even if it sounds just slightly off…_ ' he began to himself, ' _that's our best chance to get a hit in!_ ' he noted inwardly, keeping his concentration intact. Just as Scizor fired off another blow into the wind, the sound of it caught his trainer's ears, making him gasp in realization.

"Now, Scizor!" he cried out, getting his attention, "On your right!" he told him loudly. Reacting quickly, the Bug/Steel type then aimed at the same place he attempted to strike before, with Gardevoir appearing right there. Both she and Diantha widened their eyes in surprise as the former was then attacked by the silvery white claws of her opponent, sending her careening to the other side of the field after being hit by a flurry of assaults.

"All right!" Ash cheered excitedly.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu yelled out of joy.

"I can't believe Scizor's attack worked…" Clemont admitted, adjusting his glasses.

"How'd he do it?" his sister asked.

"Sill…" Sylveon confessed in response, tilting her head in confusion.

"I think I know how he did it," the Pokémon trainer chimed in, catching all of their attentions as he was looking back at the battlefield, "Gingka's got a great sense of hearing," he pointed out, "so I bet he used that to find Gardevoir and let Scizor get her," he explained, turning back to his friends.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed, absolutely impressed as she clasped her hands together excitedly.

"And now he's finally got the upper hand!" the Lumiose gym leader noted, turning his focus back onto the battlefield.

"Now, X-Scissor!" the beyblader commanded. The Pincer Pokémon then had his claws become encased in a blue light, crossing them before a magenta shaped x appeared before him once again. He leapt out at the Psychic/Fairy type, striking her ferociously in the chest as she was still recovering from his earlier blows.

"Well…" the Kalos Champion commented, a little surprised that her beloved partner was hit yet again. However, she remained composed, letting a grin come across her face. "Use Thunderbolt!" she ordered, catching the attention of her opponent as his eyes widened in astonishment. As she was still being pushed away by her foe's attack, the Embrace Pokémon had electricity begin to spark all over her body, suddenly releasing it onto him.

"SSSIII!" he buzzed in pain falling down onto the dirt on his back, away from his enemy.

"Scizor!" his trainer cried out, immediately concerned. Fortunately though, the Bug/Steel type jumped back up, standing firmly on his feet, much to the relief of the shaggy haired teen. "All right," he began, "Air Slash!" he shouted. His partner crossed his pincers again as they glowed a bright white, swinging them outward and firing multiple, shuriken-like discs of air directly towards his foe.

"Psychic," Diantha told her Pokémon.

"Ga," she replied, letting her eyes glow a bright light blue as she turned her attention back onto her opponent. She then stuck her right hand out and suddenly, the energy discs all stopped in midair, outlined in a light blue luminosity, much to the shock of both the Pincer Pokémon and the beyblader. Clenching her extremity into a fist, she made them all burst into thin air, leaving no trace of any one.

"S-Ssiz…" Scizor stammered, stunned as to her ability to stop his attack. All of a sudden, he found himself covered by the same light blue outline, making him grimace in discomfort while he couldn't move.

"Scizor!" Gingka yelled in realization, but was too late as he saw the Bug/Steel type get flung by the force of his foe's psychic power, crashing right into the stadium wall.

" _Oh my!_ " the announcer exclaimed over the microphone, " _As much of a surprise Scizor gave with getting a hit on Gardevoir,_ " he began to say while the crowd was starting to cheer immensely, " _it looks like our Kalos Champion's gotten pretty serious!_ " he pointed out excitedly. The woman in question on the battlefield then snapped her fingers while her foe's Pokémon was freed from the blue outline over his body.

"Checkmate," she uttered, "Use Moonblast!" she commanded. A golden aura then shrouded the Embrace Pokémon, followed by a pinkish colored orb forming upon her hands. Grimacing in remembrance, the shaggy haired teen turned back to see his partner land onto the ground on his feet, still shaken up a little from the previous attack.

"Scizor, heads up!" he called out to him, catching his attention as he looked out to see the Psychic/Fairy type ready to launch her attack at him, "Counter it with Flash Cannon!" his trainer ordered.

"Sci!" he responded with a nod, putting his pincers out before his body and opening them up. Just as his foe launched the pink orb in her hands at him, he fired a bright beam of white energy towards it, having them collide with each other instantly for a few seconds before it exploded in a huge burst of smoke, blinding the battlers and their masters.

"Ergh!" the beyblader grunted as the wind rushed by him, causing him to flinch, "Now use Air Slash!" he cried out to his partner. All of a sudden, the Pincer Pokémon flew right out of the smoke cloud, reeling his claws back as they glowed a bright white again. Diantha and Gardevoir instantly took notice, widening their eyes in astonishment as they saw him throw his extremities out, launching several energy discs of air towards his opponent.

"Dodge it!" the Kalos Champion shouted. The Embrace Pokémon instantly reacted and jumped back, avoiding most of the discs of air. However, a few managed to strike her, causing her to cringe as she actually fell down to her right knee. "Gardevoir!" her trainer yelled in concern. As the smoke then cleared, Gingka saw that his foe's Pokémon wasn't moving for the moment, making him grin in realization.

"Flash Cannon!" he commanded to the Bug/Steel type in midair, who nodded, throwing his pincers out and firing another bright beam of white light from them, striking her directly before she could even react.

"VUUAAH!" she yelled in pain, tumbling across the dirt back to her master, with a blue aura suddenly appearing on her person, flowing down her body.

"Gardevoir…" Diantha uttered in disbelief, looking back to see Scizor land down before his trainer, staring her down with him as they had serious expressions on their faces. Seeing their joined emotions caused her to smile, while her beloved partner managed to stand back on her feet. The cheering crowd became more and more invested in the battle, especially as it seemed either fighter could win.

"I must admit," the Kalos Champion began, catching the attention of her opponent, "I never imagined we'd be having such an amazing battle…" she confessed, placing her left hand over her chest.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to wipe the floor with you…" Gingka sheepishly admitted, scratching his right cheek while his foe chuckled.

"Shall we make this even more entertaining?" she suggested, grabbing the Key Stone on her necklace.

"Definitely," he answered, using his right hand to touch the one that was upon his left glove, "You ready, Scizor?" he asked his partner.

"Sciz!" he responded excitedly, snapping his claws.

"Gardevoir?" Diantha questioned to her Pokémon.

"Vuar," she replied with a nod, getting into a ready stance as she and her foe eyed each other, while their trainers touched their respective Key Stones.

"Mega Evolve!" they cried out simultaneously, with brilliant yellow lights emerging from their solids. The Mega Stones upon their respective Pokémon then let out blue streaks of luminosity, connecting with those from their respective trainer's Key Stone. In a multicolored aura that shrouded the both of them, the Bug/Steel type and the Psychic/Fairy type began to transform, with parts of their bodies changing drastically. The former's pincers lengthened and developed serrations while the lower half of his claws turned white and gained three pointed spikes on the underside. His eyespots were now becoming blue with a thin black rim. In addition, pieces of black armoring appeared on various areas of his body: a three-pointed crest on his forehead, striated coverings on his shoulders, and unmarked coverings on his thighs. His legs now resembled large, tapered spikes with white tips. A burst of wind came upon the finishing of his transformation as he shouted into the air. The latter though had her body turn completely white while only her hair remained green. Her gown became longer and wider, resembling a bridal gown, while her forearms were slightly thicker with a pointed extension above each elbow. In addition, her facial spikes were larger and now curled upwards. But in contrast to her previous form, her hair was now shorter and more tightly curled. There were now two horns in the center of its chest, extending to either side as her transformation was completed, revealing her elegant appearance. The crowd went into a frenzy upon seeing the two Mega Evolutions on the field, staring each other down with serious expressions on their faces.

"Wowee!" Bonnie exclaimed excitedly.

"Day, dennay!" Dedenne squeaked in agreement.

"Silvee…" Sylveon uttered worriedly, concerned as to how much more intense the battle was about to become.

"So it's finally time…" Ash noted, grinning happily. Pikachu, Serena, and Clemont did the same, anticipating the bout to come with excitement in their eyes.

"How marvelous!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed from within the observer's booth, "I never thought Gingka'd be the one to make Diantha get that serious…" he admitted, crossing his arms, "Now let's see how this unfolds…" he advised, looking down at the field.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!" the Kalos Champion commanded, with her partner forming a black ball of energy right upon her hands.

"Use Air Slash!" the beyblader ordered, as his Pokémon crossed his serrated pincers, having them glow a bright white. In almost an instant, he swung them outwards, firing off several shuriken-like energy discs. His opponent then launched a barrage of her attack in response, making them collide with the discs, creating multiple bursts of smoke onto the battlefield as they exploded on contact with one another.

" _Wow!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone, " _This battle's become a_ _ **mega**_ _masterpiece that's only just begun!_ " he declared loudly while the smoke cleared, revealing the frenzied and excited crowd in the stands.

"Scizor, Bullet Punch!" the shaggy haired teen shouted. The Pincer Pokémon claws became covered in a silvery white light as he sped forward, reeling them back. Before his foe could even react, he struck her twice, causing her to slide across the dirt for a moment with a grimace on her face.

"Psychic!" her trainer called out, catching her attention, just as her foe was about to hit her again. A light blue luminosity enveloped her eyes while she stuck her arms out. Suddenly, the Bug/Steel type was stopped as a blue outline appeared over his body, preventing him from moving.

"Gaa… VUAARR!" the Embrace Pokémon exclaimed, sending him flying into the air with a loud yell as he had no control of his own body.

"Don't give in, Scizor!" Gingka cried out, "Flash Cannon!" he commanded. Despite being bound by his opponent's psychic power, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon slowly managed to bring his right claw out in front of his body while still in midair, snapping it open. He then fired off a beam of white light down towards his enemy, who gasped in surprise.

"Dodge it!" the Kalos Champion shouted, enticing her partner to jump back, letting the ray of luminosity strike the ground with a strong burst of smoke to follow. At the same time though, the outline surrounding her foe vanished, allowing him to move once again as his wings buzzed rapidly.

"Now, X-Scissor!" his trainer ordered.

"Sciz!" the Bug/Steel responded with a nod, opening his left claw before crossing both of them, having them glow a light blue while a magenta shaped x appeared before them. He then dove down towards his opponent at a blinding speed, ready to attack.

"Moonblast!" Diantha demanded to the Psychic/Fairy type, who had a golden aura shroud her body, forming a pink orb upon her hands. She launched it up into the air, sending it directly for her enemy. However, he span out of the way, much to her surprise as she gasped, reacting too late while he attacked her ferociously.

"All right!" Ash exclaimed from the stands, pumping his right fist as everyone developed excited smiles. On the battlefield, Gingka let off a small grin, but it vanished the moment he saw the still composed look upon his opponent's face.

"Use Thunderbolt!" she ordered, causing him to gasp in realization. All of a sudden, electricity began sparking all over the Mega Evolved Embrace Pokémon, catching the attention of her foe a second too late as she then unleashed it onto him.

"ZZZORRR!" he cried out in pain, getting blown away by the attack as he fell down and tumbled across the dirt, sliding to a halt on his stomach.

"Scizor, you okay?!" the beyblader asked in worry, seeing his partner struggle to get back on his feet. Back in Mistralton City, his girlfriend watched the battle on the television with shaking eyes, very concerned as to how it was unfolding.

"Uh… I-I gotta grab something upstairs…" she claimed with a stammer as she stood up, catching the attention of her grandfather, "I'll be right back," she promised, jogging towards the stairs and going up them.

"All right then…" Miles sighed, putting his focus back onto the screen. At the arena, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon stood back up firmly, letting out a proud yell as he snapped his claws, ready to continue. His foe's trainer smiled, prepared to face what was to come.

"Moonblast!" she yelled to the Psychic/Fairy type, who had the golden aura shroud her body while she formed a pink orb of energy upon her hands again.

"Flash Cannon!" Gingka commanded. The Bug/Steel type planted both of his tapered legs into the dirt, holding out his right pincer and firing a bright beam of white light towards his opponent. She launched her energy orb, having it collide with the ray before it could strike, causing both attacks to be at a stalemate with each other. However, the shaggy haired teen noticed that the sphere was pushing the beam back, causing both him and his Pokémon to widen their eyes in disbelief.

' _What?!_ ' the former exclaimed through thought as he then saw the entire ray disperse, allowing the orb to move out and strike his partner, creating a big explosion of smoke.

"Scizor!" he cried out as the force from the blast rushed by his body, making him cringe while he endured it. When the dust settled, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon was revealed on his left knee, having scrapes and bruises all over his body. He grimaced as he looked out at his opponent and her trainer, seeing the unchanged, composed expressions on their faces, causing him to grit his teeth together angrily.

"No way…" Serena uttered in shock from the stands after witnessing the attack, covering her mouth with her right hand.

"Steel types are strong against Fairy types," Clemont noted as he had a shocked expression on his face, "and yet…" he continued, crossing his arms.

"Sill…" the Intertwining Pokémon said worriedly, catching Dedenne's attention as he hopped onto her head from his owner's purse.

"Ne nay?" he questioned, trying to reassure Sylveon, as she was quite concerned.

"How'd that happen, bro?" Bonnie asked the Lumiose gym leader, who was looking up in thought.

"If I had to guess," he began in reply, "it's because Gardevoir's got a very high Special Attack," he pointed out.

"Gardevoir does?" Ash questioned, having overheard the conversation, along with his Pokémon and the rookie performer.

"Yeah," the blonde haired boy responded with a nod, "a Gardevoir is usually more focused on fighting with Special Attack," he explained, "while a Scizor usually fights with Physical Attack," he added, adjusting his glasses as they shined in the sunlight, "Diantha's Gardevoir has all special attacks with Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Psychic, and Moonblast," he listed off.

"But Gingka's Scizor's got a blended mix…" his sister noted, developing a worried expression on her face, similar to that of the Fairy type's.

"And the only physical attack he has that can do a lot of damage is Bullet Punch…" Serena mentioned, also becoming concerned.

"He'll be fine," the Pokémon trainer reassured, "Gingka always finds a way through thick and thin…" he mentioned, "right, buddy?" he questioned to his partner.

"Pika!" he squeaked in agreement, looking back at the battlefield.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!" the Kalos Champion ordered. The Mega Evolved Embrace Pokémon then let a black ball of energy form upon her hands in front of her chest, firing out multiple ones towards her enemy.

"Dodge it!" the beyblader called out. His partner jumped up, avoided the barrage of black energy balls, going up higher into the air with his rapidly buzzing wings. "Now, Air Slash!" his master commanded, enticing him to reel his claws back, having them glow a bright white. He let out a powerful yell before swinging them out, firing off several shuriken-like discs of energy down at his foe.

"Use Psychic!" Diantha yelled to the Psychic/Fairy type. Her eyes shined a bright blue as she threw her arms out, causing the discs to stop before they could reach her, covered in an outline of the luminosity before bursting. The shaggy haired teen growled in frustration, realizing that he was in quite a tight spot in the battle.

"Bullet Punch!" he demanded. The Bug/Steel type then soared down, having his claws glow in a bright, silvery white light, ready to strike his foe.

"Thunderbolt!" the Kalos Champion ordered. Gardevoir then had electricity spark all over her body, releasing a large bolt of lightning towards her enemy. However, he avoided it, landing down right before her, and striking her right in the chest with his right pincer as she was left stunned. He attacked twice more, sending her sliding back across the dirt, making her grimace in pain.

"Vua…" she grunted, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"Now use X-Scissor!" Gingka cried out. Snapping his claws open, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon crossed them together, letting them glow a bright blue while a magenta shaped x appeared before them. He then lunged forward, about to strike her directly again.

"Moonblast!" her trainer commanded, enticing her to immediately shroud herself in a golden aura, forming another pink orb of energy upon her hands. Just as her enemy was about to attack, she launched it, making it directly collide with his chest, creating a big explosion that had smoke to follow.

"ZOR!" the Bug/Steel type yelled in pain, flying out of the cloud with quite a number of scrapes across his body. Ash and the others in the stands gasped in shock at the scene, while Professor Sycamore widened his eyes from the observer's booth.

"Scizor!" the shaggy haired teen exclaimed, seeing his Pokémon about to fall into unconsciousness in midair. Back in Mistralton City, Skyla quickly came down the stairs, now dressed with a navy blue, long sleeved jacket and black sweatpants over her pilot's outfit, and a pair of blue goggles upon her forehead. She was holding a duffel bag in her right hand as she took notice of the bout on the television her grandfather was watching, seeing how the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon looked quite damaged.

"He's in a tough spot now…" Miles commented, narrowing his eyes at the screen. His granddaughter however, placed her left hand over her chest and clenched it into a fist, having faith in her boyfriend and his partner. At the arena, the Bug/Steel type's eyes fluttered open, with his vision somewhat blurred. When they came into focus, the first image that he saw, which caused his eyes to widen, was the sight of Alain and his Mega Evolved Charizard, eyeing him with serious expressions on their faces. He clenched his teeth in frustration, regaining his composure.

"Sii…ZZORRR!" he screamed, having a whitish aura suddenly envelop his entire body, making him seem black and white.

"S-Scizor?" his trainer stuttered in astonishment, while both Diantha and Gardevoir had their eyes widened out of surprise.

"What is that…?" Serena asked from the stands, as she and her companions were all stunned by the development. All of a sudden, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon zoomed down, ramming right into the Psychic/Fairy type before she could even react sending her tumbling across the dirt. The Kalos Champion gasped as her partner lied upon the ground, scraped and bruised by the attack.

"Gar…" she grunted, standing back up on her while she saw her foe land before his master, with the aura around him dissipating into thin air.

"That was… Iron Head…" the beyblader uttered in realization, absolutely shocked.

"Zor!" his partner cried out to him, catching his attention, "Si, zor sci!" he told him, snapping his pincers excitedly. After blinking for a moment, Gingka understood him, smiling.

"Right," he said, "Time to turn the tide!" he declared, pumping his fist excitedly.

"Si zor!" the Bug/Steel type agreed, turning his attention back onto his opponent.

" _Oh my, folks!_ " the announcer exclaimed over the microphone, " _Looks like this battle's reached a fever paced climax!_ " he stated, while the crowd continued to be in its frenzied state.

"What a battle this is…" Diantha confessed, quite moved by the majesty of it, "Now, Shadow Ball!" she suddenly ordered.

"Ga!" her partner responded, forming a black ball of energy upon her hands before her chest. She then fired several of them towards her enemy, who didn't even flinch.

"Dodge and use Iron Head!" Gingka called out. Scizor lunged out instantly, spinning past the dark spheres as his body became covered by the white aura again, making it seem as if he was only black and white. He slammed into his foe hard, causing her to cringe in pain as she slid across the dirt, breathing heavily afterwards while still on her feet. "All right!" his trainer exclaimed, knowing that his partner had a strong advantage, "Now, Bullet Punch!" he yelled to him. His pincers turned a silvery white as he leapt out again, reeling them back to strike his opponent.

"Use Psychic!" the Kalos Champion ordered. The Mega Evolved Embrace Pokémon had her eyes glow a bright blue as she stuck her hands out. Just as the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon was about to strike her, a blue outline surrounded his body, halting him from moving as his eyes widened in realization. He was then flung backwards, heading straight for the stadium wall. However, with his strength, he managed to plant his tapered legs into the ground, managing to graze through it long enough to hold on and take the attack.

"Zor!" he exclaimed, snapping his pincers excitedly.

" _Unbelievable!_ " the announcer screamed from the booth while the crowd continued its frenzied cheering, " _Scizor's held on despite the barrage of endless attacks from Gardevoir!_ " he noted excitedly as the Bug/Steel type stood up on his feet, no longer covered by the blue outline that had surrounded.

"Looks like this is it…" the beyblader realized, grinning widely, "Bullet Punch with Iron Head!" he commanded, enticing his partner to regain his glowing, silvery white claws, while also being shrouded in a white aura, making him appear to look black and white. His opponent's master watched on with a now nervous expression her eyes, knowing that the bout had reached its climax.

' _Never has a trainer made Gardevoir nor I so unsure of our chances of victory…_ ' she said inwardly, developing a grin, ' _But that's what a battle of this level should do!_ ' she noted to herself.

"Gardevoir, Moonblast!" she ordered to her beloved partner.

"Vuar!" she replied, holding her hands out in front of her chest as a golden aura enveloped her body. A pink orb of energy formed onto them while her foe lunged out, zooming right for her. Everyone in the stands gasped as they saw the two about to collide, wondering what would happen. The Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon ended up throwing out his right claw towards his opponent's chest, slamming it into the energy sphere. In almost an instant, an explosion burst forth from the collision, blowing them both back in an instant as smoke covered the entire field.

"Scizor!" Gingka cried out, crossing his arms over his face and closing his eyes to endure the smoke that blew by his face. Diantha also had the same expression, with parts of her dress swaying from the blast. Moments later, the smoke cleared, revealing both Pokémon still on their feet, despite all the damage done to them. However, they began stumbling back, grimacing in pain while their trainers looked on in surprise. The Bug/Steel type kept his eyes on his opponent, disregarding his agony as he tried to move forward, only to end up cringing even more. The Psychic/Fairy was in the same position as well, breathing heavily as she stepped forward. All of a sudden, something hit the ground with a thump, catching everyone's attentions and making them all gasp. The shaggy haired teen's Pokémon had fallen to his knees, and in a burst of bright light, he transformed back into his original form, falling over on his left side with closed eyes. "Scizor!" his trainer yelled in shock, rushing out to him.

"Scizor is unable to battle!" the referee announced, raising his red flag into the air, "Gardevoir wins!" he added, pointing the green one at the Mega Evolved Embrace Pokémon, "And therefore, the victor is the Champion, Diantha!" he declared, making the crowd cheer loudly for the woman on the battlefield. However, she had a most surprised expression on her face, as she was quite close to losing the battle. Her partner then transformed back into her original form, still grimacing as scrapes were all over her body. She went over to her, placing a reassuring hand on her left shoulder as she smiled brightly, enticing her to do the same. They then both walked towards their former opponent, who was still checking on the defeated Bug/Steel type.

"You okay, bud?" he asked him, having his left hand on the creature's right shoulder.

"Zor…" he groaned in reply, pushing himself off of the dirt, standing back up on his feet, much to the relief of the beyblader. Just then, they noticed that Diantha and Gardevoir were approaching them, making look over.

"Gingka," the Kalos Champion began, placing her right hand over her chest, "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't one of the best battles I've had in years…" she confessed, causing him to smile, "You and Scizor showed a spectacular display to us and the crowd," she told him, "And you've also shown how much of a strong bond you two have," she added, holding out her right hand to him, "I do hope you'll battle me again in the future," she proposed.

"I sure will," the shaggy haired teen responded, taking her hand with his own. At the same time, Gardevoir let her right arm be grasped by the Pincer Pokémon claw, allowing him to shake it politely as he smiled. The crowd cheered loudly, clapping at how well the battle was fought on both ends. Back in Mistralton City, Miles breathed out a sigh of relief as he turned off the television with a black remote, having pressed the red button upon it.

"Your boyfriend sure is something, isn't he, Skyla?" he guessed to his granddaughter. However, as he didn't get an immediate reply from, he glanced out to see that she had disappeared. "Skyla?" he said, standing up to see if he could find her, "Where'd you go?" he asked, walking around the house. He then took notice of the fact that the front door was left open, making him groan as he trotted over to it, about to close it. However, the sound of an airplane soaring by caught his attention as he looked up and gasped to see an orange and yellow colored vehicle fly past his house, heading high into the sky. "Sk-Skyla?!" he exclaimed in shock, while within the small aircraft, the Mistralton gym leader was smiling brightly, excited as to where she was heading.

"Huh…" the beyblader breathed as he sat down on the bench back in the locker room, where his Sylveon, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Dedenne all were as well after a long while, "I never thought that would've been so intense…" he admitted, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Veeon!" the Intertwining Pokémon cooed, wrapping her feelers around his left arm, nuzzling it with her head and making him smile.

"You were amazing, Gingka!" his Omni Force teammate exclaimed, catching his attention, "The way you had Scizor use Iron Head _and_ Bullet Punch at the end…" he recalled, "That was so cool!" he complimented, causing him to chuckle.

"Thanks, Ash," he said to him out of gratitude, "You know…" he began, petting the Fairy type beside him on the head, "the only reason I ever had Mega Evolution in the first place was because Professor Sycamore encouraged me," he explained, letting the memory flow back into his mind, "but I never understood why _I_ wanted that kind of strength," he stated, causing the whole group around him to blink in surprise.

"Well, do you know now?" a voice asked, chiming in on the conversation as the shaggy haired teen and his friends perked up, looking over to see the Pokémon researcher in question enter the room.

"Yeah, I do," the beyblader responded, standing up as Sylveon relinquished her feelers from his arm, allowing him to bring it up so he could look at the Key Stone embedded into his left glove, "I wanna be stronger not just to protect my friends," he started to say, "but also to fight with them," he stated, smiling proudly. The handsome looking professor then trotted, placing his right hand on the boy's left shoulder.

"You've done so well, Gingka," he told him, "I think a lot of people are proud of what you've accomplished as a trainer," he mentioned, grinning at him.

"I think so, too," he responded, nodding in agreement.

"There you are!" a feminine voice suddenly exclaimed, catching his attention as without warning, a pair of arms wrapped around him, bringing him into a warm embrace. He gasped as he saw that it was his girlfriend, who had a hearty blush on her cheeks as her face was dug into his chest.

"S-Skyla?" her boyfriend stammered in surprise, while the others were astonished as well, "What are you doing here?" he asked as she removed herself from him.

"Well, why didn't you tell me you were battling the Champion today?" she asked back with an arched eyebrow while the little Lumiose girl was looking out at her with sparkles in her eyes, "I would've gotten here sooner if you had…" she mentioned to him, making him cringe in realization as he saw her place her hands at her hips.

"Uh… s-sorry…" he stuttered in apology, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I mean, I should've-"

"You're a keeper!" Bonnie suddenly cried out, interjecting the beyblader's sentence as she caught everyone's attention, going over to the Mistralton gym leader and falling to her right knee, holding her left hand out to her, "Please, take care of my brother!" she proposed, much to the dismay of the blonde haired boy as he paled.

"Huh?" the red haired girl uttered in confusion, tilting her head with a raised eyebrow while the beyblader just chuckled slightly.

"My brother needs a beautiful girl like you as a wife!" Bonnie declared, causing her to blush profusely.

"A w-wife?" she stammered in surprise. Clemont quickly ran over and placed his right hand over his sister's mouth, quieting her instantly.

"N-No!" he stuttered in reassurance, "She was just joking…" he claimed, laughing nervously.

"I wasn't joking!" the Lumiose girl yelled, muffled by her brother's hand.

"Hate to break it to ya, Bonnie," Gingka began, catching her attention, "but she's _my_ girlfriend," he pointed out, going over and wrapping his left arm around her, causing her to have a tint of pink appear on her cheeks while she smiled.

"Your girlfriend?" Serena questioned, somewhat surprised as her crush stood beside her, grinning happily at the scene.

"That's Skyla," he introduced to her, "She's a gym leader from the Unova region," he mentioned, gesticulating towards the female in question.

"And my girlfriend," the shaggy haired teen mentioned, planting a kiss upon her forehead, making her blush even more heartily as she giggled.

"Aw…" the little blonde haired girl moaned in disappointment, but let off a very big smile, as did everyone else at the happy reunion the couple was sharing.

"So, how long are you staying?" the beyblader asked the Mistralton gym leader, who smiled happily as she leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Silvee?" Sylveon questioned while she tilted her head, confused as to why her trainer was so close with the female she knew practically nothing about.

 **X END STORY X**

"Awesome!" Raya and Leslie exclaimed simultaneously, having enjoyed the tale told by their friend.

"Thanks, girls," Rachael responded, "My dad's had a lotta time to tell these stories since he's not as busy anymore with all his hobbies…" she noted, glancing up at the ceiling in thought.

"And he finally got an answer to the question Dylan's dad gave him!" the Pokémon trainer pointed out.

"Piri!" Serpence hissed in agreement, coiling up beside her.

"Did he ever get to tell Alain that?" the Tennyson girl asked. However, instead of an immediate reply, she saw her scarlet haired friend develop a somber look in her eyes, turning her head away.

"What's wrong, Rae?" the Ketchum girl questioned, seeing her distressed expression.

"It wasn't easy for dad to tell me about the next story," she responded to them, "let alone remember it," she added, causing her companions to develop worried looks on their faces, "I don't think it's easy for me to talk about either…" she confessed. After a moment of blinking in surprise at her usually easygoing pal, the half-rainbow haired girl then scooted over and wrapped her left arm around her shoulders, catching her attention.

"If you don't want to," she began to her, "you don't have to tell us," she reassured, "We can just go to bed," she mentioned, much to Leslie's surprise.

"Well, I don't wanna go to-" Her sentence was immediately halted the moment she saw the glare shot towards her from Raya's eyes, making her grimace in worry as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head. "N-Never mind…" she stammered, glancing away.

"No, it's okay, Raya," Rachael reassured, allowing her to relinquish her arm as she had an astonished look on her face, "I can still talk about it," she said, placing her right hand onto her friend's left, making her blush in surprise, "but thanks for being so sweet…" she told her out of gratitude.

"No problem…" she responded, smiling at her brightly. Leslie grinned at her two friends, happy that they found a way to make things work for the coming story.

"Okay," the Hagane girl began, pulling her extremity away, "This last one's about the second time my dad faced Alain," she stated, "And this was back when Alain was working for Lysandre," she added, causing everyone around to gasp in surprise.

"The boss of Team Flare?!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed out of shock, "That's who Dylan's dad was working for back then?!" she questioned, getting a nod in reply from the scarlet haired girl.

"It's hard for both my dad and Dylan's to talk about it…" she mentioned, "because of all the emotions and hardships that went through that battle…" she finished, trembling slightly, which the Tennyson girl took notice of, placing her left hand onto her right shoulder, catching her attention.

"Whenever you're ready," she told her in a reassuring matter, making her smile thankfully. She then took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling.

"Okay," she uttered, "Here's how it went…" she began, as the others around her listened on nervously.

 **END PART II**

 **Yes! I'm glad I got this done so I can focus on more important matters, such as finals for my first semester of college! Afterwards, I'll be able to get back in the swing of things with writing! Sad thing is though, I'm also putting this story on hiatus, until the Team Flare arc in Pokémon XY &Z is resolved, along with a wrap-up for Alain. I can't properly have him and Gingka battle again until that's settled. But in the meantime, here's a temporary summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **As Gingka and Alain square off in another ferocious Mega Evolution battle once again, Ash, Fluttershy, and most of their friends watch on, shocked at the strength of both trainers. The battle's at a fever pace, with Alain not wanting to lose in order to protect what's important to him, and Gingka desiring to fight alongside his comrades. Who will come out on top of this bout?! And what will conspire afterwards?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **With that, the story focus shifts over to "Resolve", the big Fairy Tail/Beyblade/Pokémon crossover that I've been excited about writing for a while. Also, the story takes place just after the battle Gingka had with Diantha, but won't feature Mega Scizor or any Pokémon from him. Of course, the story won't happen until I've finished up my semester at college, so please be patient in the meantime. You can also come up with predictions as to what'll happen in the story! Right now though, it's time to go into a small Q &A session with my OC characters. If you guys would like to, leave a few questions for them! I'm sure they'd love to hear what you'd ask!**

 **Q &A**

 **Dietrich Kennedy: Question for Leslie: Have you met the other Pokémon characters in other Pokémon games? Because I can't really list all of them. And do you have a secret crush on Dylan?**

 **Leslie Ketchum: Yeah, I've met Alder, the Subway Bosses, the Unova gym leaders, Iris, Cilan, and plenty of others! *** **notices second question and blushes out of embarrassment** *** N-No way! There's absolutely no chance I'd ever fall for a guy as jerky as Dylan!**

 **Rachael Hagane: He does try to be sweet though…**

 **Ivan Anderson: Question for Raya: When you're nice and polite to your parents, why are you so mean to your brother? Do you have any reason for being mean to him?**

 **Raya Dashilee Tennyson: Don't get me wrong, I love Kenny. It's just… he almost ruined our future by going back in time and trying to split mom and dad apart.**

 **Ivan Anderson: I'm not really mad, I'm just curious.**

 **Raya Dashilee Tennyson: It's fine. My bro's always been a brat, especially since mom didn't give him much attention as a kid. That's why he'd rather see dad with someone like Kai, who's been my babysitter ever since I was two.**

 **Rachael Hagane: Wow. You sure like bringin' the exposition, huh?**

 **Raya Dashilee Tennyson: *** **blushing out of embarrassment** *** I-I just wanna make sure everyone knows what happened…**

 **Pedro Callisto: Question for Sky Hagane: ¿Por qué quieres ser un líder de gymnasio?**

 **Sky Hagane: Huh?**

 **Ivan Anderson: Let me translate it for you. He said: 'Why do you want to be a gym leader?'**

 **Sky Hagane: Oh! Well, mom's always been super strong, and she's said that someone's gonna hafta take her place someday. I'm not old enough yet, but once I am, I'm gonna go on a journey and make my Flying type Pokémon the strongest ever! Then I'll definitely be the one to take mom's place!**

 **Aleks: Question for Rachael: When did you start training with Erza?**

 **Rachael Hagane: I think it's been about a year since I started training with her. My friends and I all visited Fairy Tail with our parents to drop by and say hello, and Erza saw my potential as a warrior. That's when she figured out I could use the same kind of magic she possessed, requipping into a lotta different armors. My personal favorite's the Black Wing armor!**

 **Leslie Ketchum: Ooh… *** **teasingly** *** Isn't that a little revealing for you?**

 **Rachael Hagane: *** **blushes madly** *** Wh-What? N-No it's not!**

 **Leslie Ketchum: Hee hee! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, folks!**

 **END Q &A**

 **As Leslie said, I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter! Sure, this story's going on hiatus, but I can't wait to continue it once things have been settled in the anime. In the meantime, look forward to "Resolve", and please vote in the poll for which pairing you're most excited for! See ya later!**

 **QUOTE:**

 _ **Don't count on me giving up when I know my friends won't.**_

 _ **~Gingka Hagane,**_

 _ **To Riot in Diancie & the Cocoon of Destruction**_


	3. Gingka's Journey PART III

**Greetings, folks! Hope you didn't mind the hiatus because it comes to an end right now! After seeing how the XYZ anime was taking way too long to put an end to the Team Flare plot, I thought I'd throw in my interpretation of what could happen in the future, based on recently aired episodes and plot summaries for the series. Now remember, this is the last story centering around Gingka's greatest experiences after wielding the power of Mega Evolution. After this, Rainbow Dash will be the one to get some focus, alongside her Mega Pidgeot!**

 **Also, keep in mind that I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ANIME OR CARTOON SERIES PRESENT IN THIS STORY. Thank you.**

 **Now, let's back into the story!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

After battling the Kalos Champion to a hard fought loss, Gingka began training a lot more with Scizor, learning to master his new move and strategizing over which opponents they could potentially face. However, their practice was cut short as the beyblader was dragged into the all-out war between Fairy Tail and Tartaros. Once it had come to an end in but a single day, everything had changed for him and the rest of his comrades. The guild was completely obliterated, most of his friends were scarred from the hardships they suffered, and though no one was going to see it coming, the family they were fighting for was about to disband.

He returned to his girlfriend in Mistralton City, feeling quite overwhelmed by what had conspired himself, especially upon seeing Igneel's heroic demise and his child's dismay. It reminded him too much of his own past and discouraged him. Nevertheless, he knew that his journey couldn't end there, especially as he heard that Ash had been becoming much stronger over time.

Before he could re-embark on his quest, he received word from Professor Sycamore that trouble was brewing in Kalos, and landmasses one after another were withering away and dying with no explanation as to why. The shaggy haired teen remembered hearing word from Sunset Shimmer about a mysterious group of people wearing fancy suits and glasses who could potentially be a problem, but he overlooked it as it didn't seem like too much harm had been caused. Once he saw that things were growing more severe, he immediately rushed back to Lumiose City, even bringing along Erza Scarlet to accompany him.

Together, the two met up with Diantha and traveled to Anistar City, where they all learned about the prophecy Olympia envisioned, involving the legendary Zygarde along with the Pokémon trainer and his friends. Both redheads were also said to be involved in the oncoming crisis, including the female's guild mate in Mirajane Strauss. They then embarked to locate the raven haired boy, telling him and his comrades of the impending danger that they would be a part of. They were also paid witness to his newfound strength against the region's strongest trainer, as his Greninja almost defeated her Gardevoir in its unexplainable form.

Afterwards, the champion left, giving her regards to the group, which Gingka and Erza joined for the remainder of the trip to Snowbelle City. Upon learning about the mysterious Squishy that Bonnie was taking care of, seeing his best friend and his Ninja Pokémon go through a great deal of frustration and change, and witnessing the battles Ash had against Wulfric before earning his eighth badge, the beyblader was even more motivated to get stronger himself.

They then returned to Lumiose City to watch their raven haired friend compete in the Kalos League, fighting against powerful opponents in order to work his way up to the finals. To the shaggy haired teen's surprise, Alain was participating in the tournament as well, and he happened to be the only thing standing between his fellow Omni Force member's chance at his first championship.

In the end, he won. The Pokémon trainer defeated the Mega Evolution user and claimed the championship title, much to the delight of his friends as he was ecstatic. It felt as if the celebration for his victory would never end, but it had to come to a halt as disaster began to strike the region.

The mysterious group, known as Team Flare, had made their move, corrupting the balance of nature as plant life was dying away all over the region from the center of Lumiose City. In an effort to stop their dastardly plans, the team of Ash, Gingka, Erza, Mirajane, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont met up with their friends in Ben Tennyson, Rook Blonko, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, having come up with a plan to enter the villainous unit's base of operations in order to thwart their plans.

It wasn't meant to be a simple task, as the location of the team's hideout was on the outskirts of Lumiose City, being Lysandre Labs. After managing to sneak in, the entire group split up. The requip user went off on her own, the performer, the scientist and his sister went along with the partier girl, the Revonnahgander headed off with his girlfriend, and the raven haired boy took his crush and the shy girl along with him. The remaining three were left on their own, searching for the fancily dressed men and women who had caused them so much trouble. Continuing their trek down the long, dark hallway, Gingka, Ben, and Rainbow looked around, seeing nothing except for the metal walls around them.

"Ugh…" the latter of the three groaned, folding her arms behind her head, "Really wish we didn't have to split up…" she muttered with a bored look in her eyes.

"Not like we had a choice," her boyfriend pointed out, getting her attention as she glanced over at him, "Team Flare's running amok all over the place…" he mentioned, placing his right hand onto his chin, "But why _here_ of all places?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at the surrounding area.

"I've got a hunch it's not a coincidence…" the beyblader answered, clenching his fists tightly as they walked on.

"So how come you haven't butted in on this Team Flare stuff till now?" the Omnitrix bearer asked his teammate, raising an eyebrow towards him.

"Ash didn't tell me about it until after he and the others went into Terminus Cave," he explained in response, crossing his arms over his chest, "It didn't sound like a big deal to me at first," he admitted, "but once I heard about Alain getting involved, I got worried," he said, much to the surprise of his comrades.

"So you _know_ Alain?" the rainbow haired girl guessed, receiving a nod from the shaggy haired teen.

"He and I fought once," he mentioned to them, "Afterwards, I found out he got involved in all kinds of crazy stuff…" he added, recalling the events he had heard about from Professor Sycamore.

"And he's the one you told me about, right?" the Omni Force leader inquired as he arched his eyebrow again.

"Yeah," Gingka replied, "We all need to be on the lookout for him…" he pointed out with a serious expression, "By the way…" he continued, looking back at Ben, "how come you and Rook brought Mirajane along?" he asked, making him blink in surprise.

"Hey, she's the one who wanted to come along and make sure things we're goin' okay," he claimed in reply, holding out his hands in a placating manner, "We even gave her a UT to track down Ash and his friends," he added to him.

"Heh," he chuckled, "Bet that's not the only reason she came…" he noted, causing Rainbow to raise an eyebrow out of suspicion.

"You _know_ something about that, don't you?" she guessed, unfolding her arms as she narrowed her eyes onto him.

"You could say that…" he answered with a shrug, making her puff her cheeks in frustration while her boyfriend was left befuddled. Just then, the three of them took of a faint light at the end of the tunnel, widening their eyes as they let off grins.

"That an exit?" the rainbow haired girl inquired, blinking at the sight of it.

"Whatever it is," the Omnitrix bearer began as they all started jogging towards it, "I'm sure it's better than wandering around these dark hallways," he said while his shaggy haired teammate went on ahead into the lighted area, gasping as he saw that it was a dirt battlefield with standing rafters above it, and viewer booths high up on both sides.

' _I've got a bad feeling about this…_ ' he muttered to himself, glancing around for signs of anything suspicious within the large room. Meanwhile, his teammates stood at the entrance, with the female of the two placing her hands at her hips as she pouted.

"Oh, great…" she grumbled, "I bet this is a trap, isn't it?" she inquired, crossing her arms while the Omni Force leader glanced around at the area.

"Whaddaya think, Gingka?" he asked his comrade, catching his attention while he turned to face them.

"Way I see it," he began as lights at the entrance began flashing red, "we should-" Without warning, a red energy barrier suddenly appeared between him and his teammates, much to their shock while they all gasped.

"Hey!" Rainbow yelled, punching the wall over and over, making it only pulsate, "What's the… big idea?!" she shouted in between failed hits. Ben was about to reach for the device on his wrist, but suddenly heard the sound of a click, enticing both him and his girlfriend to turn around and see multiple Team Flare grunts standing behind them, aiming their laser guns right at them.

"Ben! Dash!" the beyblader exclaimed, grabbing the hilt of his sword as he was about to pull it out.

" _Oh,_ " a deep, male voice echoed through a loudspeaker, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise, " _so you've finally arrived…_ " he noted, enticing him to turn his head towards the viewer section of the stadium, seeing the tall, orange haired man standing right by the window, having his arms crossed. The other Omni Force members looked over at him as well, developing perplexed expressions on their faces.

"Who are you?" the shaggy haired teen asked, narrowing his eyes at the man.

" _My name is Lysandre,_ " he responded through the speaker system, " _I'm the owner of the company you and your friends have been lurking around in,_ " he explained, " _and the boss of Team Flare,_ " he mentioned, making Gingka and his comrades all gasp in shock.

"The… boss?!" he questioned, being in complete disbelief. Meanwhile, a set of sliding doors opened in another area, allowing Ash, Pikachu, Greninja, Fluttershy, Infernape, and Mirajane to run in, only to find that it was an enclosed space with a large viewing window.

"Dead end…" the former of the group muttered, looking around for signs of anything. Suddenly, the access to the room suddenly shut itself, catching the attention of the white haired beauty. She turned around and attempted to pry it open, grunting loudly as she gritted her teeth. "Mira?" her beloved uttered in confusion, glancing over to see what she was trying to do, along with the others.

"Ergh!" she growled, removing her hands from the door.

"Neen ja," the Water/Dark type chimed in, catching her attention as she looked to see him jump up, having his right foot glow a bright blue, "Grenin…" he began as he aimed it at the door, "JA!" he exclaimed, striking it fiercely. However, as he jumped away from it, his friends saw that there was barely even a dent upon it.

"We're locked in…" the Satan Soul user realized, developing a worried expression.

"Pika…" the Mouse Pokémon uttered out of concern as his ears flopped down. He then perked up as he took notice of the light grayish cerise haired girl looking through the window with trembling eyes of shock, much to his confusion as he tilted his head.

"Fur, fer naype?" her Fire/Fighting type asked, trotting up beside her to see what she was looking at, widening her own eyes at it.

"What's wrong, you two?" the raven haired boy asked, heading over to them with the others.

"D-Down there…" Fluttershy stammered in reply, pointing towards what she was looking at. Everyone glanced down and gasped in shock, seeing that they had arrived in a viewer's booth for the battlefield where Gingka was. Upon noticing his teammate, Ash immediately perked up.

"Gingka!" he cried out, catching the beyblader's attention as he looked up and widened his eyes to see his allies on the booth opposite from Lysandre's.

"You guys!" he yelled to them.

" _As you can see,_ " the Team Flare leader began through the loudspeaker system, enticing him to turn and look at him again with an angered expression in his eyes, " _we have some of your friends as captives,_ " he noted as his grunts held Ben and Rainbow at gunpoint, about to lead them away.

"Let them go!" the shaggy haired teen demanded, grabbing the hilt of his sword tightly as he was about to pull it out.

" _Oh, I will,_ " the orange haired man promised, unfolding his arms, " _That is, once you and your friends are all beaten…_ " he stated eerily to him, making him clench his teeth in rage.

"Isn't that...?" Mirajane began to question with widened eyes.

"Lysandre…" her beloved uttered honestly, "Is he… the leader of Team Flare?" he guessed, raising an eyebrow out of thought while grimacing.

"Pika…" his partner said, nodding in agreement with a look of concern. Fluttershy however, couldn't help but show off her worried expression, feeling as if something horrible was about to happen upon seeing her rainbow haired friend and the Omnitrix bearer get taken away by the foot soldiers.

" _Now… Gingka Hagane, correct?_ " Lysandre implied, making the beyblader blink in surprise, " _I have to give you my sincerest congratulations,_ " he confessed, " _You've defeated countless Mega Evolution users such as Gurkinn from Shalour City,_ " he recalled, " _and even battled the likes of Diantha and my subordinate…_ " he mentioned, making him gasp out of shock.

"Subordinate…?" he uttered in confusion, suddenly hearing the sound of a gate opening before him, revealing a familiar figure walking out from the light. He widened his eyes upon seeing who it was, clenching his fists as he gritted his teeth angrily. The others up in the viewer's booth all gasped too, with the animal whisperer having the most stunned expression on her face while she saw who it was.

"A-A-Alain!" she stuttered in exclamation, astonished to see him standing there on the battlefield.

"No way…" Ash said out of disbelief, "Alain's… working for Team Flare?!" he questioned, sweating madly out of shock while his crush beside him nervously bit her lip. The Pokémon had frightened expressions on their faces as well, seeing him stare down the shaggy haired teen blankly while he glared back, having his rage build immensely.

 **GINGKA'S JOURNEY**

 **PART III**

Having his fists clenched so tightly, the blood vessels in Gingka's hands began to show. There were only so many times he ever remembered being this angry in his life, but after seeing the person before him, he may have been more so. The individual had a stoic, unchanging expression upon his face, pulling out a Poké Ball from the belt at his waist.

" _Technically,_ " Lysandre began through the speakers, catching the beyblader's attention as his attention was brought onto him, " _Alain works for me,_ " he stated, causing him to blink in surprise, " _When necessary, I have him assist Team Flare in order to accomplish our goals,_ " he explained, letting a grin come across his lips, " _That includes helping us capture Z two and gather Mega Evolution energy,_ " he mentioned, much to the shock of everyone else aside from the black haired teen on the field.

"Z two?" Mirajane uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow in confusion, "What do you think that means?" she asked her beloved, who placed his right hand upon his chin.

"Not sure…" he answered honestly, narrowing his eyes onto the battlefield, "but..." he continued, closing his left extremity into an enraged fist, "does that mean all this time… Alain was…?" he tried to guess, but couldn't as his teeth were gnashed together.

"So _that's_ why you entered the Kalos League?!" the shaggy haired teen inquired to his foe on the field, still angered by his unexpected reveal to him, "Just wanted to make a quick buck for your Flare buddies…?" he added, keeping his fists tightly clenched, "Do you have any idea what they've been doing?!" he asked, almost at a breaking point of wanting to attack the man himself.

"Like Lysandre said," he started to say, causing to perk up and settle down for a moment, "he had me assist Team Flare in capturing Z two," he told him, "but I never intended on gathering Mega Evolution energy at the Kalos League," he admitted, much to his surprise, along with the tall man in the booth as his eyes narrowed. His subordinate looked up at the other viewing area, noticing Ash standing just before the window with the two girls and other Pokémon. "I entered because I wanted to face _him_ again," he stated, making the spiky haired trainer widen his eyes in shock.

"Hm…" the bearded man in the opposite booth hummed, folding his arms over his chest.

' _Though competing in the Kalos League strayed away from his mission…_ ' he began to himself, ' _he managed to gather the energy we needed from the Mega Evolutions he faced,_ ' he noted inwardly, ' _Still…_ ' he kept going through thought, uncrossing his arms.

" _Alain, you understand your new task?_ " he asked through the microphone, receiving a nod in reply from the black haired teen as he looked up at him.

"My job is to take down the three Mega Evolution users that are here," he declared, turning back to his opponent and enlarging the Poké Ball in his hand by pressing its center button, "That would be Sunset, Rainbow, and you," he listed off, making Gingka clench his teeth in frustration once again. The raven haired boy in the opposite booth also had a look of anger in his eyes, seeing that the rival he had looked up to throughout the Kalos League was now an enemy before their eyes. His beloved could sense his oncoming rage, developing her own serious expression. However, Fluttershy was completely stunned and frightened, trembling as the thought of someone dear to her was actually working for the other side. Her whimpering voice became apparent to the others in the room, seeing her slowly fall down to her knees on the floor just before the window.

"Fer, fur nape?" Infernape asked, concerned for her trainer as tears were streaking down her cheeks.

"P-Please…" she stuttered in plea, catching the attentions of the two on the field as they both looked up at the booth.

"Fluttershy?" the beyblader uttered with an arched eyebrow, recognizing her breaking voice.

"Alain…" she began, trying to fight back tears while they kept dropping onto the floor, "d-don't do this…" she begged, crying as softly as she could in order to keep her composure intact, "D-Do you really think doing this will help... your friend…?" she questioned, stammering while biting her bottom lip. The revelation brought about by her caught the shaggy haired teen by surprise as he looked back at his foe, seeing his own expression of shock. Meanwhile, Lysandre narrowed his eyes onto him, closing his left hand into a fist.

' _So… he told her about his mission…_ ' he realized, taking a moment to blink before looking back at the opposite booth. His subordinate began turning his head away from the ones up in the closed area, not batting a single eye.

"That's none of your business," he stated coldly. The pink haired girl's eyes widened at his words, clasping her hands together over her chest, while tears were practically pouring out onto the floor. She let a scream of dismay, sobbing wildly as Mirajane knelt down next to her, placing her hands upon her shoulders in a reassuring manner. The others in the room were quite stunned at her reaction, feeling quite sorry for her. Gingka's eyes trembled as he heard her crying and strained voice. In almost an instant, he used his left hand to pull his beylauncher out from his belt while getting Samurai Pegasus out of its pouch, placing it upon the launcher with a click. His enemy caught the sound as he looked out too late to see him quickly pull back the ripcord, sending the beyblade hurdling towards him. However, it flew past, and in a matter of milliseconds, an explosion of smoke and dust occurred right behind him, making him flinch in surprise as he endured the force of it. Everyone in the booths watched on in astonishment, including the animal whisperer as her tears stopped falling for the moment, seeing the veil of grayish smoke begin to clear. Alain coughed as it faded, taking notice of the spinning top speeding back to its user, jumping right into his hand, stopping as steam emerged from it.

"Wh-What was that?" he stuttered, still stunned as his own eyes were trembling.

"There's a few things you don't know about me, too," the beyblader replied, putting both items back into their places upon his belt, "Here's one thing though…" he continued as his foe took a moment to look back, gasping in complete shock to see that he had completely destroyed the gateway he had come through, making it impossible for him to turn away, "Don't make my friends cry," he stated, glaring at him menacingly. The once stoic look upon the Mega Evolution user's face had faded into fright as he was about to be met with the rage of his opponent.

 **X**

Gingka pulled out a Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button before aiming it towards his enemy. He was still taken aback from his monstrous strength, glancing back at the destruction he caused with what had appeared to be a mere spinning top.

"Whoa…" Ash uttered from the booth, as everyone with him was just as stunned at what they had witnessed. His crush then developed a resolute expression on her face, standing up quickly and catching everyone's attention.

"We should hurry and find a way out of here," she stated, much to the surprise of her beloved, who blinked for a moment.

"Right!" he agreed, immediately heading off towards another section of the area with his Pokémon, trying to find a way they escape their current prison. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was still on her knees before the window with tears flowing out from her eyes, touched by the beyblader's act, but also frightened by the fact that he was about to face Alain.

' _That boy…_ ' Lysandre noted inwardly, narrowing his eyes onto the battlefield.

"You said you had to beat me, Sunset, and Rainbow, right?" the shaggy haired teen inquired, making his foe perk up, "So you've gotta get through _me_ to get to them…" he declared in a confident, yet angered tone towards him. He scoffed in response, re-readying his Poké Ball as he reeled his arm back.

"Charizard, let's go!" he called out, hurling the spherical containment up into the air, letting it pop open. The light that spilled forth from it formed onto the grounding, shaping itself before dissipating to reveal the Flame Pokémon.

"RRRROOOAAAHHH!" he roared, extending his wings outward as a breeze of wind rushed by his enemy.

' _Alain…_ ' Gingka began to himself as he prepared himself to thrown his own Poké Ball, ' _I really don't wanna fight you…_ ' he admitted inwardly, closing his eyes for a moment, ' _but I've got no choice,_ ' he realized, reeling his arm back.

"Let it rip, Scizor!" he yelled, throwing it up into the air as it span out of his hand. Popping open, the container spilled bright blue and white lights onto the battlefield dirt, forming before dissipating to show the Pincer Pokémon standing tall, snapping his claws.

"Zor!" he exclaimed, getting into a ready stance. He widened his eyes in surprise upon see the Fire/Flying type before him, remembering how he lost to him before as he growled angrily. The two trainers eyed each other seriously as well, recomposing themselves as their fated duel was about to begin.

"Here we go!" the beyblader yelled, crossing his left fist over his chest, using his right index and middle fingers to tap the Key Stone upon his glove, "Scizor, Mega Evolve!" he bellowed, as yellow lights began to streak out from the sparkling solid, heading towards his Pokémon. The Bug/Steel type's Scizorite began to glow as well, letting out blue streaks of luminosity. They connected with those from the Key Stone, shining a bright gold as a multicolored aura began to shroud the creature. His pincers lengthened and developed serrations while the lower half of his claws turned white and gained three pointed spikes on the underside. His eyespots were now becoming blue with a thin black rim. In addition, pieces of black armoring appeared on various areas of his body: a three-pointed crest on his forehead, striated coverings on his shoulders, and unmarked coverings on his thighs. His legs now resembled large, tapered spikes with white tips. A burst of wind came upon the finishing of his transformation as he shouted into the air. Upon hearing the cry, Ash glanced back through the window, closing his right hand into a fist.

' _Do your best, Gingka!_ ' he inwardly cheered, going back to searching for an exit.

"Bullet Punch!" the shaggy haired teen ordered back on the battlefield.

"Sii!" his partner responded, having both of his claws glow a light blue, dashing towards his opponent. However, the Flame Pokémon remained standing still, as his trainer had yet to give an order to him.

' _They're not Mega Evolving?!_ ' the Omni Force member inwardly realized, noticing how his foe had yet to even touch the Key Stone upon his ring.

"Counter with Thunder Punch!" he suddenly cried out. Charizard's right fist began having sparks of yellow electricity surround it before forming into a ball of that energy. He reeled it back at the moment his enemy was approaching, doing the same with his extremity. The two collided their fierce attacks, causing a gust of wind to viciously blow by. Both trainers shielded their eyes from the oncoming dust and dirt, as their Pokémon managed to push each other back. "Now Flamethrower!" the black haired battler commanded. His Fire/Flying type arched his head back, spewing out a torrent of flames towards his foe.

"Dodge and use Air Slash!" the beyblader yelled. The Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon flew away from the oncoming fire, having his claws glow a bright white before swinging them out, firing several shuriken-like discs of air down to his opponent.

"Use Dragon Claw to block it!" Alain ordered. His partner's extremities became covered by a greenish energy in the shape of actual claws upon the command, as he then swatted away the approaching discs, slicing them all apart before exploding into thin air.

"X-Scissor!" Gingka bellowed. Scizor opened his serrated claws, crossing them as they became enveloped in a light blue luminosity, with a magenta outline in the shape of an x forming in front of them. He soared down while seeing his foe fly towards him, colliding their attacks once more, clenching their teeth as neither of them were willing to back down.

"Flamethrower!" the Team Flare subordinate called out. Fire began to envelop the Flame Pokémon's mouth, making his enemy gasp in surprise.

"Quick, get away!" the shaggy haired teen shouted as he saw the attack about to happen.

"Zor!" his partner replied, uncrossing his pincers and zooming away, avoiding the torrent of flames that emerged from his foe's mouth, chasing after him in an endless manner.

"Now use Iron Head!" the Omni Force member commanded. The Bug/Steel type's body then became shrouded in a whitish aura, making him appear black and white. He turned himself around, heading straight for his opponent as the flames had stopped pouring out. With no time to react, Charizard was instantly struck in the torso, letting out a pained roar while being sent hurdling to the ground, crashing with a flurry of dust to follow.

"Charizard!" Alain exclaimed in shock, seeing the veil clear to reveal his strongest team member grimacing out of agony.

"Air Slash!" the beyblader ordered, making him gasp in surprise. The Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon had his claws turn a bright white as he crossed them, swinging them out to shoot a volley of shuriken-like discs towards the Fire/Flying type. Before he could react, he was hit over and over by the discs, sliding across the battlefield back to his trainer.

"Rrraahh…" he groaned, shaking his head in order to recompose himself, seeing his foe land down before his own master, getting back into a ready stance.

' _Looks like we've both underestimated them…_ ' the black haired teen inwardly admitted, crossing his left arm over his chest, ' _Nevertheless, I won't lose!_ ' he declared to himself, raising his right hand up to the ring on his wrist, ' _For her sake, I have to win!_ ' he stated through thought, tapping the Key Stone with his index and middle fingers.

"Respond to my heart, Key Stone!" he yelled as yellow lights began streaking out from it, "Beyond evolution!" he added, swinging his arm up, "Mega Evolve!" he commanded, with the Charizardite upon his Pokémon's collar releasing blue lights, which connected with those of his trainer's solid. A multicolored aura shrouded him as his body began to morph, becoming more physically fit, even though his arms remained thin. His skin was turning black with a sky blue underside extending from the lower jaw to the tip of the tail. Two spikes with blue tips curved upward from the front and back of each shoulder, while the tips of his horns sharpened, turning blue, and arching slightly upward. His brow and claws became larger, his snout was shorter, and his eyes were now red with white pupils. He also gained two small, fin-like spikes under each horn and two more down his lower neck. The lower trims of his wings were divided into large, rounded points and each third joint was adorned with a claw-like spike. As the multicolored light left his body, he roared loudly into the air while a burst of wind blew out upon the completion of his transformation, breezing strongly past Scizor and his trainer, making them flinch. The now morphed Fire/Dragon type breathed blue flames out from the sides of his mouth, and the flame on his tail now burned blue with increased heat.

"RRRRAAAAHHHH!" he roared ferociously, catching the attentions of the ones searching for an exit in their booth. Ash ran over to the window, gasping as he saw the two Mega Evolutions on the battlefield.

"Oh man…" he muttered, letting a nervous drop of sweat roll down the side of his head, "Find a way out yet?" he asked his companions, turning to face them.

"Pika…" Pikachu responded with shake of his head. Infernape and Greninja did the same, along with the trainer's crush as she stood in front of the locked door.

"Ash, I hate to say it," she began, making him perk up while trotting over to her, "but I think we've only got one option," she said, suddenly enveloping herself in a bright purple light, causing her beloved to shield his eyes. As the luminosity dissipated, the raven haired boy gasped to see that her eyes had become darker and her eyelashes grew larger, with a dark, thin marking in a light zigzag-style crossing her right eye vertically. Similar markings were present above her right breast and on both of her bare thighs. Her hair became wilder, jutting upwards and getting curlier, with the front ponytail having grown longer, and her ears enlarged, extending backwards and gaining pointed edges, bearing resemblance to those of the fictional elves. She also gained sharp canine teeth, and her lips became covered in dark lipstick. Her forearms and hands received noticeable changes, becoming covered in scales and each sprouting a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. She also grew a large, stocky tail seemingly made of metal plates or scales, getting smaller and smaller near its end.

Her clothing also changed, with her Chinese dress attire being replaced by a dark, skimpy one-piece suit, which revealed her arms and legs and is open on the front and the back, exposing most of her belly and wide cleavage. Such clothing had golden-colored edges taking on spiky shapes, and her similarly spiky collar was tied around the neck by a cravat tie. Her shoulders were tied in thin belts protruding from her one-piece suit, and her feet were covered by matching, high-heeled, thigh-high boots, which were decorated by lighter motifs on their upper parts, taking on the shapes of jagged blades pointing downwards on the front of her legs, and on the lower parts, in correspondence to her ankles and feet. She also donned a pair of gauntlets covering the back parts of her transformed arms.

"M-Mira…" Ash stuttered, as both he and the Pokémon were surprised by her transformation.

"I know you don't like any of us resorting to our powers," she started to say to him in a deeper voice, "but there's too much at stake to waste our time like this," she told him, making him blink in surprise. However, a serious countenance spread across his face as he nodded in agreement, allowing her to crack a smile before readying her right fist, throwing it out to punch the door. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was still lying on her knees before the window, having her vision blurred by her tears as she continued to watch the battle rage on below. Blue flames spewed from the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon's mouth, while Scizor was speeding away from them.

"X-Scissor!" Gingka cried out. The Bug/Steel type reopened his claws, having them glow a light blue before crossing them, letting an x-shaped outline form in front of them.

"Counter with Dragon Claw!" the black haired teen yelled. His partner then had his hands become enveloped by a bluish aura in the shape of claws, charging towards his opponent. The two intersected their extremities, with neither of them backing down even an inch. After a moment of deadlock, the Fire/Dragon type managed to shove his foe down crashing into the ground, as a flurry of dust followed.

"Scizor!" the beyblader shouted worriedly as the veil dissipated, revealing his Pokémon standing up from the impact, breathing heavily as his enemy landed upon the field.

"You won't be able to stop Charizard now," Alain stated, catching their attentions as they looked at him in surprise, "Not only will his Fire type attacks be _more_ than enough for you," he began to explain, "but his ability makes his other attacks stronger as well," he mentioned, smirking a little.

"Ability?" the shaggy haired teen uttered in confusion.

" _Tough Claws,_ " Lysandre's voice boomed over the loudspeaker systems, causing the trainers to look up at him, " _That ability allows for Charizard's physical attacks to be strengthened by thirty-three percent,_ " he explained, letting a grin come across his lips. The Omni Force member cringed upon finding out, clenching his fists tightly as they trembled.

' _They've got us in quite the tough spot…_ ' he noted through thought, looking out at the battlefield, seeing his partner get back into a ready stance, ' _Type advantage and abilities aside, Alain and Charizard are just more experienced with battling against Mega Evolutions…_ ' he inwardly confessed as the Pincer Pokémon glanced back at him, ' _But…_ ' he started to say to himself, smiling a little. The creature before him nodded, putting his focus back onto his foe.

"Zor!" he exclaimed, snapping his claws excitedly.

"Charizard, Thunder Punch!" the black haired teen commanded, throwing out his own fist. Electricity sparked around the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon's extremity before forming into a mass of energy that shrouded it, allowing him to charge forward.

"Bullet Punch!" Gingka yelled. Both of the Bug/Steel type's pincers glowed a bright blue before he zoomed on ahead, prepared to attack his foe. He struck him several times, avoiding his energy covered fist in the meantime in a very fast effort. The opposing trainer was quite stunned, along with his boss as he narrowed his eyes onto the battle. The Fire/Dragon type wasn't managing to even land a blow on his opponent, who pounded him relentlessly with endless and strong strikes.

"Come on, Charizard!" his trainer shouted, "Use Flamethrower!" he ordered, looking quite frustrated. Flames began to billow within his partner's mouth, about to shoot his enemy with him.

"Iron Head, quick!" the beyblader called out. A whitish aura formed around Scizor, making him appear black and white as he swung his cranium down onto his foe's, making him flinch while falling to the ground, landing on his feet and sliding back.

"Ergh…" Alain growled angrily, having his fists tremble slightly, "Go, Charizard!" he yelled. Suddenly, he noticed that his Pokémon was still grimacing in pain, unable to respond to the order.

"Now Air Slash!" the Omni Force member bellowed from the other side of the field. Crossing his claws over his head as they both turned white, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon swung them out, launching a volley of shuriken-like discs of air towards his opponent. Before he could even react, the dragon-like creature was hit by all of the discs, falling over onto his backside. Lysandre narrowed his eyes at the sight, while his subordinate cringed, seeing his partner slowly get back up, grunting as his foe landed down on the field.

"HAH!" Mirajane yelled as she furiously attacked the door over and over, managing to dent it with each excessive blow. However, it was taking quite some time as the others watched on, minus Fluttershy. Infernape turned and trotted over to her trainer, noticing that there were still tears in her eyes, blurring her vision as she continued to view the bout down through the window, which seemed to have ceased for the moment.

"Rooaaggh…" Charizard groaned as he stood up with his tail burning brightly still.

"Sciz!" his foe exclaimed, readying himself for another round of attacks. His trainer also prepared himself, taking a deep breath of air.

"Hey," he said, making his opponent perk up for a moment, "Remember that thing I asked you after we first battled?" he asked, causing him to blink in surprise. However, he recalled the aftermath of their first bout, questioning why the shaggy haired teen wanted to get stronger. "You asked me the same thing, too," he mentioned, snapping him away from his thoughts, "I've given it a lot of thought since then…" he admitted, narrowing his eyes as he looked up at the booth where his friends were, seeing the shy girl and her Fire/Fighting type right beside her, "Obviously, I wanna be strong for the sake of keeping my friends safe," he noted, glancing back at his right hand as he extended it out, "but it's not that simple…" he confessed, much to the shock of his foe as his eyes widened, "As strong as I can get, I know there are people who are gonna become just as strong as I am," he explained, remembering Ash's great efforts in the Kalos League, closing his hand into a fist, "That's why I wanna be strong," he stated, looking seriously out at his enemy, "To protect my friends and fight with them, whether or not they're strong," he finished. Alain stood still for a moment, stunned by his words. The memory of when he turned Mairin and Chespie away flashed through his mind, causing him to clench his teeth in frustration, while his fists trembled.

"That's… impossible…" he muttered angrily, making everyone watching look at him in surprise, even Charizard, "Those people you try to protect…" he started to say as another tear fell from Fluttershy's right eye, "They're the ones that keep you from getting stronger!" he declared with a fierceness in his eyes. Gingka remained composed, prepared to face whatever he was to deal with next.

 **X**

"Ergh!" Mirajane grunted, jumping back as she barely managed to dent the door, breathing heavily.

"Nin ja…" Greninja muttered, rubbing the back of his head worriedly.

"I can't believe it's withstood this much already…" the Satan Soul user admitted, readying herself once again as she lunged at the door. Meanwhile, Ash took a moment to glance over at the pink haired girl in the room, seeing that she was still whimpering while the Flame Pokémon comforted her, placing her hand onto her left shoulder.

"Fur, fur nape…" she reassured, but not receiving any response as the animal whisperer was too saddened to even speak.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered in concern from his trainer's right shoulder, realizing that things were getting worse. Suddenly, he noticed the raven haired boy's right hand spark with electricity, making him perk up in surprise as he turned to face him.

"Gingka's fighting down there for our sake…" he noted, closing his extremity into a fist, "We can't waste time here, buddy," he stated seriously, receiving a nod in reply from the Electric type.

"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Alain commanded angrily. The dragon-like creature had claw-shaped auras envelop both of his hands before charging forward, gliding at his foe.

"Counter with Bullet Punch!" the beyblader yelled, as his partner lunged forward, having his claws glow a bright blue. The two Pokémon intersected, throwing out their extremities in order to strike each other again and again. After landing a few hits on his foe, Scizor was slashed right in the chest, getting sent back in midair.

"Now Flamethrower!" the black haired teen ordered, pumping his fist. Flames built up within the Fire/Dragon type's mouth before he spewed them out, heading right for his enemy. With no time to dodge, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon crossed his claws over his chest, taking the attack head on as he grimaced.

"Scizor!" the Omni Force member cried out worriedly, seeing him manage to endure the flames long enough to land back on the ground, still cringing in agony, "Keep him away with Air Slash!" his owner shouted.

"Zor!" the Bug/Steel type responded, letting his pincers glow a bright white, crossing them before swinging them outward, launching a volley of shuriken-like discs of air towards his opponent.

"Knock 'em away with Dragon Claw!" Alain bellowed, throwing out his hands. The claw-shaped aura appeared over each of Charizard's hands once again, allowing to swat away the discs without any problem as they exploded into thin air. "Thunder Punch!" his trainer commanded on. Electricity enveloped his partner's right fist before he zoomed forward, about to strike.

"Bullet Punch!" Gingka yelled. His companion had his claws glow a bright blue, as he too zoomed towards his foe, reeling his arms back. Avoiding the sparking yellow fist of the Fire/Dragon type, the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon delivered a flurry of hits to his opponent's torso, sending him back as he landed on the ground, sliding across the dirt.

"Charizard!" his master shouted in concern, seeing him breathing heavily as he was starting to keel over. Fluttershy watched on in shock from the booth, realizing that the match was close to ending.

"Let's finish this!" the beyblader bellowed, "Use Iron Head!" he commanded, swinging out his left arm. Enveloping himself in a whitish aura to make him appear black and white, the Bug/Steel type lunged forward, about to ram into his opponent with all his might. The black haired teen on the other side of the field had his fists tremble in rage, frustrated with how he seemed to be letting the battle slip away from him.

' _I can't lose!_ ' he inwardly stated, clenching his teeth together.

"Blast Burn!" he ordered angrily, completely overtaken by the desire to win. His foe gasped in surprise upon hearing the two words, and he and his partner both cringed as they saw the blue, fiery aura shrouding their foe, while he roared into the air.

"Oh no…" the animal whisperer uttered from the booth, catching the attentions of her friends.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, going over to her with Pikachu and Greninja. He then looked down at the battlefield, gasping in shock to see the blue flames billowing up around the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon, "Gingka!" he screamed worriedly.

"Pika!" his partner cried out in plea. The Fire/Dragon type then struck the ground with his right fist, sending a wave of energy through the earth. Red-orange lights began appearing out from the ground, moving underneath Scizor as he continued to zoom forward, grimacing as he knew what was to come. All of a sudden, the luminosity began to surround him, preventing him from seeing as the aura around him vanished.

"Scizor!" his trainer yelled, right before a fiery explosion enveloped the battlefield, leaving it veiled by a cloud of smoke.

"N-No…" Fluttershy stammered as more tears streaked down her cheeks. She lifted her hands up to her eyes, preventing others from seeing them as sobs came out of her mouth. The aspiring Pokémon master beside her also had to suppress his emotions, having his fist tremble in rage and frustration. Back on the battlefield, the smoke had yet to clear, but Alain smirked, believing that he had won.

"There's no way you could've handled Charizard's Blast Burn," he noted, letting out a chuckle, "You gave me a good fight, but it's over," he stated confidently, while his boss watched on with narrowed eyes.

"We're not done yet!" a voice declared from within the smoke, causing Lysandre, his subordinate, and the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon to perk up in surprise. The ones up in the booth all blinked out of astonishment, with the shy girl uncovering her eyes to see the veil fade away. The black haired teen she admired gasped upon seeing the Bug/Steel type standing tall, despite having numerous burn marks across his body while breathing heavily.

" _What?!_ " the Team Flare leader exclaimed in complete disbelief. The ones in the opposite booth all smiled in relief, while the animal whisperer just let off a small grin, still tearing up.

"H-How?" Alain stuttered, sweating a little as he could not fathom the situation before him, "There's no way you could've handled those attacks!" he yelled.

"Like I said," Gingka began, making him perk up, "I've got friends counting on me just as much as I'm counting on them," he explained, causing his Omni Force teammate to blink out of surprise, turning back to see his crush continuing to attack the door. He clenched his right fist before going over to her, letting Pikachu jump off of his shoulder in the meantime.

"Pika pi?" he asked in confusion, not receiving a response as he was too focused on other matters. Meanwhile, the beyblader threw out his right arm, pointing towards his opponent.

"Losing to someone who'd make their own friends cry is something I can't do!" he stated proudly, closing his hand into a fist, "We'll keep fighting until you can't anymore!" he bellowed.

"Zor!" his partner agreed, snapping his claws. The black haired teen clenched his teeth together in frustration, remembering his words to both Mairin and Fluttershy that had broken their hearts. A newfound fierceness became apparent in his eyes as he glared menacingly ahead.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" he commanded angrily. However, the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon grimaced, not moving an inch, much to his surprise.

"Ja?" Greninja questioned from up in the booth.

"Furnape…" Infernape answered, gesturing towards the battlefield, "Fur, nay furnape," she explained, still comforting her trainer as she wiped her eyes.

"Charizard needs time to recharge after that…" she noted, letting out a little sniffle.

"Air Slash!" the shaggy haired teen ordered. Scizor jumped up, having his claws glow a bright white as he crossed them, swinging them out to launch a volley of shuriken-like discs of air. With no time to dodge, the Fire/Dragon type crossed his arms over his face, enduring the discs that struck him as dust began building up around him.

"Hah… Hah…" Mirajane breathed, fatigued from all the continuous strikes she had given to the door, yet it barely even budged from her attacks. Suddenly, she noticed Ash approach her on her right, rapidly going through hand signs before grasping his right wrist, holding the extremity out in front of himself. A mass of blue electricity began forming upon his palm, sparking wildly as he raised it up.

"Let's do it together, Mira," he told his crush, making her blink in surprise as she saw the grin across his lips, "Just like back then," he mentioned. She was taken aback, but smiled, grasping him at the right wrist with her left hand.

"Here we go," she said, readying herself along with him.

"Dragon Claw!" Alain shouted from back on the battlefield. Emerging from the cloud of dust, the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon soared up into the air, having his hands covered by the claw-shaped, blue auras as he dove down at his foe.

"Counter with Bullet Punch!" Gingka called out. The Bug/Steel type's claws glowed bright blue as he charged forward. The two fighters intersected, delivering blows at a frenzy pace, while their owners watched on nervously. After getting hit twice in the torso by two powerful strikes, Charizard raised up his right hand and slashed his opponent, sending him straight down to the ground. Everyone up in the booth gasped at the sight, while the electricity in the Pokémon trainer's hand began to glow a dark purple. The veil of dust cleared back on the field to reveal Scizor still standing, but breathing heavily as he about to keel over.

"Now it's time _we_ finish this!" the black haired teen exclaimed, clenching his fists tightly "Charizard, Thunder Punch with Dragon Claw!" he commanded. The claw-shaped aura around his partner's right hand remained, while the left one vanished. Yellow electricity also began to build up upon it, sparking wildly as he roared into the air. The beyblader remained composed as the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon looked back at him, nodding with a grin, making him do the same.

"Let's go, Scizor!" he cheered, throwing out his right arm.

"Sciz!" he responded, putting his claws out to their respective sides, having them glow a bright blue. Their opponents were confused as to what they were planning, but the human of the two regained his serious expression, scoffing.

"Now, Charizard!" he yelled to his partner.

"RRRRAAAGGGHHH!" he roared in reply, diving down at his opponent.

"Special Move…" Gingka began to say as the Bug/Steel type enveloped himself in a whitish aura, making him appear black and white as he jumped upwards, "IRON SPIRAL!" he bellowed. His companion started to spin around rapidly as he rocketed himself towards his foe, colliding with his electrical energy claw. Sparks flew wildly as both trainers braced themselves from the force of the impact.

' _Just keep spinning…_ ' the shaggy haired teen inwardly uttered, letting a grin come across his lips, ' _As long as we can keep our spirit alive, we'll never lose!_ ' he declared to himself. The deadlock between the two creatures lasted for what seemed like an eternity, while both Ash and Mirajane struck the door with the electrical mass of energy back in the booth, piercing right through it as it began to rip apart. In the meantime, the impasse between the two fighters on the battlefield continued as they clenched their teeth.

"Sii…ZZOOORRRR!" the Mega Evolved Pincer Pokémon exclaimed, breaking right through the claw of electrical energy, slamming right into his enemy's head, going up to the ceiling.

"Charizard!" Alain screamed in fright.

"Go!" the Omni Force member shouted. Lysandre gasped from his booth, seeing the two Pokémon crash right into the ceiling, much to his shock as his eyes widened. Coming out of the smoke moments later, both creatures fell to the ground, transforming back to their original states in flashes of light before smashing against the earth, causing dust and dirt to build up around them.

"G-Gingka…" Fluttershy stuttered in disbelief, managing to crack a small smile.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered out of amazement. He then turned back to see that the sliding door had been taken down by both his trainer and his crush, as the latter of the two had a purple light envelop her body, morphing herself back to normal.

"We did it!" the raven haired boy exclaimed, making the take over wizard beside him giggle in agreement as she let go of his wrist, "Thanks, Mira," he said to her in gratitude, catching her attention, "With the way things are now, I can't go holding back," he explained, causing her to blink in surprise, but also nod in agreement.

"Pika pi!" the Electric type squeaked, getting their attentions as they jogged over to him and the others.

"What's up, buddy?" his master asked, letting him jump back onto his left shoulder. He then looked down and gasped. The dust had cleared to reveal both Scizor and Charizard lying on the ground, both unable to continue as their trainers stood there, baffled by what happened.

"A draw?" the Satan Soul user inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Looks like it…" her beloved concurred, looking over at the animal whisperer, who had finally ridded her eyes of tears. Meanwhile, the Team Flare leader had a very frustrated expression upon his face, clenching his fists ever so tightly.

"You fool…" he uttered angrily, gritting his teeth together. Taking a breath of air, Gingka walked over to his partner, picking him up by the left arm, slinging it over his shoulders.

"Zor…" he groaned, making his trainer smile.

"Thank you so much, Scizor," he told him out of gratitude, "You hung in there till the very end for me…" he mentioned, chuckling a little. On the other side, Alain fell to his knees, having his eyes tremble at the sight of the Flame Pokémon lying on the ground, defeated by his foe in what appeared to be a draw.

"I failed…" he uttered, placing his hands against the earth as he shut his eyes in frustration. His Fire/Flying type was starting to get back up on his feet, shaking his head in agony.

"Rrraahh…" he groaned, just as the shaggy haired teen let the Pincer Pokémon go over to him. As he approached the dragon-like creature, he perked up, seeing him extend his right claw out to him, hoping that he would be willing to stand back up with him. After a moment of stunned silence, Charizard grinned, allowing his right hand to be taken by his former foe, getting him back on his feet.

"Hey, Alain," the beyblader said, causing his former opponent to perk up as he was standing right in front of him, "you think you'd still be able to protect what's important to you by winning against all of us?" he asked in a serious tone. Closing his hands into fists, the black haired teen choked back a sob, having tears forming in his eyes.

"No…" he confessed in reply, "Winning means nothing if it's not for something more…" he noted, wiping his eyes with his left arm, "That's what I saw in our battle," he added, making his enemy blink in surprise, while the ones up in the booth were left stunned, especially Fluttershy as she stood back up, "You were fighting for the sake of your friends…" he mentioned, remembering how dedicated he was to not losing the fight to him. Ash developed a serious expression upon his face, turning back towards the doors.

"We should go," he stated, catching the attentions of the others with him. Pikachu, Greninja, and Mirajane all nodded in agreement, running towards the exit with him. However, he then took notice of the fact that the animal whisperer and her Pokémon were staying behind. Remembering how emotional she had been over the course of the battle, he decided to let her be, nodding to Infernape to keep her safe.

" _Alain,_ " Lysandre's booming voice echoed over the loudspeaker, catching the attentions of the ones on the battlefield as their heads turned to see him, " _you've failed your mission,_ " he noted, causing his subordinate to cringe in realization, " _As such, I hereby terminate your association with me and Team Flare,_ " he stated, much to the shock of the others down there, including the shy girl and her partner, " _I'll be expecting the return of your Key Stone and Charizardite as promised,_ " he added, turning himself around. Suddenly, he found the tip of a blade at his neck, gasping that it originated from a sword of Erza Scarlet's, as she was standing right in front of him.

"Don't think things will go your way, you fiendish man," she advised, letting a grin come across her lips as he grimaced.

"Erza, is that you?" Gingka asked from the field below.

" _Yeah,_ " she answered through the loudspeaker system, "I just ran into Ben and Rainbow earlier," she added back in the booth, "They're both safe," she added, making him sigh in relief.

"Thank goodness…" he said, letting off a smile. However, the Team Flare leader began to chuckle, causing the requip wizard to arch an eyebrow.

"So you think you have me in a bind, do you?" he inquired, smirking as she lightly gasped.

"Your throat is at the tip of my blade," she mentioned, tightening her grip on the weapon's hilt, "I doubt you have any attempt of escaping me," she added confidently.

"Oh really?" the orange haired man questioned, arching his eyebrow, "Well as your host then, I should introduce you to my other companions," he stated, making her widen her eyes.

"Other com-?" The sound of growling cut her question short, turning to her right to see a male Pyroar standing beside them, with reddish-orange flames billowing within his mouth. He unleashed a powerful spew of fire towards them, enticing her to instantly duck out of the way and avoid it, while the others watched from below.

"Erza!" the beyblader cried in worry. The flames vanished as the scarlet haired woman stood back up on her right knee, breathing heavily while having narrowly avoided the flames. She looked to see that Lysandre had disappeared, along with the Normal/Fire type.

" _He got away,_ " she said through the loudspeaker system, making the ones down on the field gasp in surprise.

"He must be heading down to get Z two…" Alain realized, standing up from where he was.

"Then let's go stop him," Gingka declared, closing his hands into fists. Scizor nodded in agreement, while both their former opponents were left with a decision to make, looking down at the ground.

"I'll go," a familiar, feminine voice suddenly said, causing everyone around to perk up and look over at the opposite booth, seeing Fluttershy stand up in a resolute manner with Infernape beside her.

"Fluttershy…" the black haired teen uttered in disbelief, having his eyes tremble.

"For everyone's sake, I'll stop Lysandre!" the animal whisperer stated proudly, prepared to face whatever was ahead.

 **X END STORY X**

A moment of complete silence passed by in the room as both Leslie and Raya had no idea how to react to the tale from their friend. Even the Pokémon were stunned by what they had heard.

"Ser…" Serpence hissed out of surprise, getting sounds of agreement from his teammates.

"Whoa…" the Tennyson girl uttered in shock, "Rae, I had no idea…" she said, somewhat apologetically as she could tell that her scarlet haired pal was not all that thrilled to have told the story.

"So… what happened to your dad and Alain after that?" the Pokémon trainer asked curiously.

"Hey, hey…" the half-rainbow haired girl repeated in a pleading tone, making her clasp her hands over her mouth, believing that she had accidentally asked too much.

"They got through the whole crisis and made up," the requip user responded after a moment, making them sigh in relief, "How else do you think they became teammates?" she questioned rhetorically, causing the white haired girl to blush in embarrassment.

"Still, I get why it's tough to talk about…" the Equestrian magic user admitted, looking worriedly at her best friend, "Maybe we should just go to sleep now," she suggested, noticing that the clock had struck midnight.

"Aw, but I wanna stay up!" the Ketchum girl complained, banging her fists and feet against the carpeted floor "Besides," she kept going, "it's not like my team wants to catch some z's…" she added confidently.

"Krooka…" Krookaro muttered, scratching the side of his head.

"Wahl, ray wal," Reinardio agreed, catching his trainer's attention.

"Something wrong, guys?" she asked. All of a sudden, her Serperior reached over to her bag with his tail, grabbing every Poké Ball but his own and Lucarus', unleashing the red lights from them, coming into contact with the four creatures with him, returning them to their respective containments in an instant, also ridding the girls of their light source. "Uh, hey!" Leslie exclaimed as the Regal Pokémon shrunk the spherical containers, putting them away, "Serpence, what's your-?!" Before his master could utter another word, the serpent-like creature wrapped his tail around her, moving her over to him while also grabbing a blanket, putting it over them. She blinked in surprise for a moment before smiling contently, shutting her eyes and laying upon him, as he did the same.

"Good night Leslie, I guess…" Raya joked, getting a giggle out of Rachael before she stood up, walking over to her bed.

"You gonna be all right?" she asked her best friend, who crawled into a sleeping, also grabbing a pillow in the meantime.

"Yeah, I'm good," she responded, lying down, "Hey, Rae?" she uttered, catching the scarlet haired girl's attention, "Maybe I'll tell you guys about the story of my mom mastering _her_ Mega Evolution," she suggested, much to her surprise as her eyes widened. However, she then smiled, trotting over to her and squatting down.

"I think that'd be great," she admitted, leaning her head in towards the Tennyson girl's, causing her to blush, "Night, Raya!" she said in a quiet whisper, pecking her on the cheek with her lips. As the requip user went back into her bed, her friend's eyes were widened in disbelief, while her face was completely red.

' _Dang it!_ ' she screamed inwardly, ' _Now I'm gonna be up all night thinking about THAT!_ ' she noted to herself, rubbing her fingers through her hair wildly, while the stories she had heard remained fresh within her mind.

 **END PART III**

 **And that is the last of Gingka's arc in this story! Sorry for the long hiatus. I didn't expect the Kalos League to come before the Team Flare finale, but hey, life throws curveballs at you sometimes. Anyways, with Gingka's arc finally over in the series, it's time to move on to Rainbow Dash's arc! Rainbow's always been a bit of a cocky character in my eyes. And with Pokémon, that's no exception. However, she's about to learn just how vulnerable she can really be, even with a Mega Evolution!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **After following the teenager known as Alain all the way into a town, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer, and Pinkie Pie get to know him as a person. Acting in extreme overconfidence, Rainbow demands a battle with him, as she's never faced another Mega Evolution with her Mega Pidgeot before. Will she emerge victorious?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Once again, this story will be put on hold for the others that have yet to be completed, such as "Compassion" and "Going Wild". Also, expect a possible one-shot in the upcoming weeks aside from chapters of those stories. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **That's Ash for ya. He always loves putting himself in the tough spot to make things a challenge.**_

 **Gingka Hagane**

 **To Korrina in The Bonds of Mega Evolution!**


	4. Rainbow's Journey PART I

**Everyone ready for more Pokémon? With the recent release of Pokémon GO and info on the upcoming Sun and Moon games, the series has become all the more appealing in my eyes, especially with the anime where Ash could potentially win a league! So far it's confirmed that he reaches the finals of the Kalos League, but I've already set in stone that my headcanon has him winning it all. If the writers let him win, I'd be more than happy with it.**

 **However, this story arc of "The Mega Protocol" doesn't focus on him just yet. With Gingka's story concluded, it's time to move on to another interesting crossover character. When Rainbow Dash caught my eye in both MLP and Equestria Girls, I knew that she would be quite the boastful character with a Mega Evolution.**

 **Her story is only going to last two chapters, focusing greatly upon her learning experience with the fact that she and her Pokémon aren't invincible, even with Mega Evolution. With all that said and done, please enjoy the chapter!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

The sun shined brightly in the partly cloudy sky over Mistralton City as it was late in the morning. Planes were taking off from the runway one after another, carrying cargo as they soared through the air. Meanwhile at the Hagane residence, the girls had gotten up from their slumber party, witnessing a practice battle between Sky and her mother as both Ducksie and the gym leader's Swanna were flying above them. The girls were all dressed in their day clothes, as Raya donned her signature navy blue, hooded vest over a black tank top, having her half-rainbow hair tied up in a ponytail while wearing cargo shorts and blue sneakers. Rachael bore a sky blue t-shirt underneath a navy blue jacket that included a hood as well. She also donned jeans and blue sneakers, watching on as the wind rushed by her scarlet hair. Beside the two, Leslie wore a light green t-shirt with jeans, sporting a pink visor with a Poké Ball symbol and a tied pink scarf around her neck.

"Boy, your mom's sure not going easy on Sky…" the latter of the three teenagers noted, causing the requip user to cringe as her sister was having a difficult time against Skyla, sweating nervously while wearing a light blue sweater and a pink skirt.

"Duh… Duh…" her Ducklett breathed, already worn out for most of the bout.

"Hang in there, Ducksie!" she cried out, "Use Aerial Ace!" she commanded, swinging her right arm out.

"Klet!" the Water Bird Pokémon squawked in reply, having her beak glow a bright blue before she dashed out at her evolution. However, each time she tried to strike the larger Water/Flying type, she was dodged again and again, narrowly missing. The red haired woman grinned at how the battle was progressing, donning her pilot's uniform while also having her hair tied into a ponytail.

"Swanna, Bubble Beam!" she ordered. The Swan Pokémon opened her long yellow beck upon the command, having her mouth glow a bright blue before launching a plethora of bubbles towards her foe. Panicking, she threw her wings out to take the oncoming attack as she had no time to dodge, getting blown away by the force of it.

"Ducksie!" her trainer exclaimed out of fright. However, she saw the duck-like Pokémon regain her balance in the air, flapping her wings as a ring of water suddenly appeared around her form, followed by a green aura that flowed up her body, outlining.

"Good job, Sky!" Skyla complimented, catching her young daughter's attention as she arched an eyebrow, "Setting up an Aqua Ring to restore your health over time is a good strategy," she pointed out to her, "Just remember that it'll only restore so much for Ducksie at a time," she mentioned, causing her to nod in realization.

"Okay, Feather Dance!" she yelled to her partner, who flapped her wings even more rapidly as she flew above her evolution, showering her with dozens of light blue feathers, making a light blue aura appear over the Swan Pokémon's form that flowed downward.

"How long until Sky can become a trainer?" Raya asked, catching the older Hagane girl's attention.

"About four months," she replied, "but she's been doing so well with keeping up with mom," she continued, sounding impressed with her sister as the battle went on, "I wouldn't be surprised if she just decided to give her the gym now," she confessed, much to the surprise of her friends.

"Now Bubble Beam!" the short haired girl in question bellowed. Her Ducklett then launched a barrage of bubbles onto her opponent, covering in a cloud of smoke after she was struck.

"Duh, Duck let!" she quacked happily, believing that she had won, along with her trainer as a grin came across her lips.

"Great work, Sky," her mother complimented, making her perk up in surprise, "but remember, Swanna won't go down that easily," she added, causing her to gasp in realization. All of a sudden, the cloud of smoke dissipated to reveal that the Water/Flying type almost unfazed by the attacks, much to her pre-evolution's shock as she panicked.

"D-D-Duck?!" she stammered out of surprise.

"No way…" her trainer uttered in disbelief while having her eyes tremble.

"Swanna, Hurricane!" the Mistralton gym leader commanded to her partner.

"Swa!" she squawked in response, flapping her wings rapidly as they glowed a bright white. The huge gust of wind she was creating formed into a large tornado, surrounding the Water Bird Pokémon and blowing her up high into the sky.

"Ducksie!" the young Hagane girl cried out, seeing the wind dissipate as her comrade fell down to the earth, hitting the grassy ground and lying on her backside, having swirls in her eyes.

"Guess you spoke too soon…" Leslie joked to Rachael, chuckling cheekily. However, her smile soon faded as she noticed the ominous wafting off from the requip user.

"Are you okay, Ducksie?" the short haired girl asked her Ducklett, picking her up in her arms as she awoke.

"Klet…" she quacked apologetically, appearing downcast about losing.

"You two were pretty good!" Skyla complimented, catching their attentions as they saw her return the Swan Pokémon to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Using Aqua Ring to keep your health in check with Feather Dance to lower your opponent's attack is a good strategy," she noted, causing them to both blink in surprise, "Just remember that you two still need to work on defending and avoiding attacks from your opponents," she pointed out seriously.

"Got it!" her young daughter replied, while the Water/Flying type in her arms just nodded in agreement. Her mother smiled and then looked over at the three teens sitting in the background, still conversing with each other.

"Rachael!" she cried out, catching their attentions as the scarlet haired one glanced over first, "I'm heading off now!" she told her, waving goodbye, "Your father and I won't be back until late tonight," she continued, "so you're on your own for lunch and maybe dinner!" she stated, walking off towards the airport.

"Got it, mom!" the older Hagane girl responded. Her sister then began running over to the girls excitedly, having enjoyed her little practice session.

"Boy…" Raya began, brushing her hair back as it swayed in the wind, "seeing Ducksie use Feather Dance like that reminded me of my mom's Pidgeot," she confessed, making her friends perk up.

"Oh yeah," the Ketchum girl recalled, snapping her fingers, "Didn't you say that you'd tell us a story about that?" she inquired, causing the Equestrian magic user to arch an eyebrow in confusion.

"H-How'd you know that I was gonna?" she asked while blushing nervously. The white haired girl just chuckled, deviously smiling at her.

"You think I went right to sleep last night?" she questioned rhetorically with a sly smirk as the Tennyson girl blushed madly, having steam pour out from her ears. To further her surprise, her best friend giggled upon hearing the comment as only a tint of pink graced her cheeks.

"So, what's your mom's story with Mega Evolution?" she asked, switching the subject up, much to the half-rainbow haired girl's relief and the Pokémon trainer's dismay.

"Well…" the former started to say as Sky came over, sitting down near them, "my mom first got her Key Stone and Mega Stone for Pidgeot from my dad when she turned eighteen," she explained to them, "It was kinda meant to be just a gift for her birthday," she continued as they all listened in closely, "but she went a little overboard with her cockiness," she admitted, letting a drop of nervous sweat roll down the side of her, "Didn't take too long for her to get a reality check," she mentioned, looking up at the sky while remembering her mother's tale.

 **RAINBOW'S JOURNEY PART I**

Trotting through the stone walkways of a small town was Alain Regulus; a teenage boy with messy black hair and blue eyes, sporting a pair of baggy grey pants, a black leather jacket, black boots and fingerless gloves, and a blue shirt with a white undershirt. Also, he wore a pale blue scarf that closely resembled a collar of bubbles. Along with that, he had a strange, black bracelet upon his left wrist that contained a Key Stone. His hands were delved into his pockets as he walked along the path, contemplating over his mission to gather Mega Evolution energy in order to help his friends. Although he had his duties, he still felt terrible about what he did to both Mairin and her Chespin, telling them that were keeping him from getting stronger as a trainer.

' _I promise I'll bring your smiles back,_ ' he inwardly declared, continuing on the path. Meanwhile, four girls were watching him from afar, peeking their heads out from an alleyway. They were Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, and Fluttershy, as the former of the four was staring suspiciously at the person.

"Where do you think he's going?" she asked, turning back to her friends.

"For the last time, Pinkie…" the red and yellow haired girl began to grumble, "we've got no idea…" she stated bluntly, "Why are you so insistent on following him in the first place?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow towards her.

"A guy mysteriously passes us by after we beat those sunglasses guys and you're not even _curious_?" the partier girl asked rhetorically in response, "I thought you of all people would at least find that interesting…" she admitted, glancing up at the orange-colored sky, as the sun was beginning to set.

"Not as interesting as me and Rainbow fighting demons the other day," the former pony mentioned as a reply, rolling her eyes.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact you two did that…" the animal whisperer confessed, shuddering out of fright.

"Well…" the athletic girl began, catching their attentions as they looked at her, "Pinkie might be silly for making us follow the guy," she pointed out, peeking further out from the alley, "but he's caught my attention too," she confessed, narrowing her eyes onto him.

"How come?" her fellow Omni Force member asked curiously, placing her hands at her hips.

"See that ring around his wrist?" the rainbow haired girl pointed out in question, causing Sunset to peek out and squint to see the black ring with the Key Stone embedded into it.

"Isn't that a-?"

"Yep!" her teammate interjected in response before she could finish, "And if he's got a Key Stone," she kept going, "then he's gotta have a Mega Evolution…" she noted, rubbing her chin with her right hand out of curiosity.

"Either way, we gotta follow him!" Pinkie declared in a whisper, hopping out into the streets, much to the concern of both Sunset and Fluttershy.

"Right behind ya, Pinkie!" Rainbow replied, following her.

"Huh…" the red and yellow haired girl sighed deeply, putting the palm of her left hand against her face.

"Isn't this kind of like… stalking?" the animal whisperer inquired to her nervously as she let out a quick breath of air in exasperation.

"We better make sure the guy doesn't think that way, too," she pointed out bluntly, reluctantly following her friends. They had been traveling all day since running into the mysterious group of suit wearing men and women who were apparently after the creature that they knew as Squishy. As they had parted ways with Ash's rival, Sawyer, they passed by the strange teen, who had gotten the attention of both the partier girl and the athlete, enticing them to separate from the others to go after him. He walked into a Pokémon Center, still followed by the girls as they went in and hid themselves behind the decorative plants in the lobby.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy greeted, standing at the counter with her Wigglytuff as Alain approached, pulling out an enlarged Poké Ball and handing it off to her.

"Can you take care of this one, please?" he asked politely, allowing her to take it with a nod.

"Of course!" she replied happily, heading off into the back room with her partner. Meanwhile, the Canterlot High girls watched on curiously, as the puffy haired one of the group began to trot out towards him slowly.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?!" the former pony asked in a loud whisper, cringing as she saw her start to skip along.

"I'm just gonna say hello!" she responded quietly, giving her a wink before coming to a halt just behind the boy. She took a deep breath of air, about to say something.

"You know, it's not polite to follow strangers," the tall boy before her spoke, causing her expression to change into surprise as she drooped down.

"We're… really sorry about that…" Sunset apologized, coming out with her other two friends from behind the decorative plants, "Our friend kinda got sidetracked and we had to go along with her…" she explained as she elbowed her in the left arm, making her grunt in pain before rubbing it.

"Sorry…" she uttered apologetically, looking down in shame.

"It's okay," the teenager reassured with a grin, "Though, care to explain _why_ you were following me?" he asked, arching an eyebrow while placing his hands into his pockets.

"Oh, that's easy!" the partier girl chimed in, suddenly regaining her excitement, "We started following you because I thought you looked like a famous actor from our world and-!" Her explanation was interrupted at the moment Fluttershy put her hand over her mouth, preventing her from speaking any further about odd and interesting details, which caused the black haired man to blink in confusion.

"Anyways…" Rainbow started to say, changing the subject as the attention was brought to her, "recognize this?" she inquired, showing off the silver bracelet upon her left wrist, making his eyes widen as he noticed the Key Stone embedded into it.

"So you can use Mega Evolution?" he guessed, receiving a simple nod in reply as a confident grin spread across the athletic girl's lips.

"You and me are gonna battle as soon as your Pokémon gets healed," she stated, pointing at him directly. However, he just chuckled, much to her confusion while blinking rapidly.

"While a battle against a Mega Evolution is exciting," he began to admit, "let's wait until tomorrow," he suggested as he started to walk off, "Besides," he kept going, "don't you have your own Pokémon that need to get healed?" he questioned, making her blush out of realization and embarrassment. Meanwhile, the animal whisperer watched him head off, staring at him intently.

"Um… I-I'm Fluttershy!" she introduced quietly with a stutter, causing him to stop for a moment to look back at them, much to her surprise as her face flushed a bright red, "A-And this is Pinkie, Rainbow, and Sunset…" she mentioned, gesturing towards the three other girls while removing her hand from the former's mouth. They all waved at him with smiles, making crack a grin before leaving.

 **X**

Later that night, the Canterlot High girls had all gotten dressed in bedclothes for the evening in their room at the Pokémon Center, with both the shy girl and the former pony donning pajama sets of light green and pinkish purple respectively. The rainbow haired girl had a white shirt with red sleeves and sky blue pajama pants, while the partier girl had a blue nightgown.

"Sixty-four… sixty-five…" the athlete grunted as she was doing sit-ups, having the puffy haired girl hold down her feet upon the ground.

"How come you're exercising this late?" the red and yellow haired girl asked while looking through her journal as she sat upon her bed.

"Duh!" her fellow Omni Force member scoffed in reply, "It's because you gotta stay in shape for battles," she explained, continuing her workout, "That's how Ash rolls, right?" she inquired rhetorically, causing her to crack a small grin. Just as she was about to take a pen and write in her journal, she noticed Fluttershy staring off into the distance, or rather at the room's lone window.

"Everything okay?" Sunset asked, catching her attention as she perked up.

"Oh, yeah… I guess so…" she semi-responded, much to her confusion as she arched an eyebrow out of concern, "That guy though…" she continued, glancing back at the window, "I don't why why…" she kept going, curling herself up into a ball, "but… he seemed pretty lonely," she pointed out, making everyone glance over at her in astonishment.

"Well, he did walk into the Pokémon Center alone…" Pinkie Pie added bluntly, enticing her athletic friend to glare at her before giving her a flick on the forehead with her fingers, "OW!" she yelped in pain, rubbing her cranium with her right hand as tears formed in her eyes.

"How could you tell he looked lonely?" Rainbow asked, ignoring her hurt friend.

"He… never told us his name and… well…" the shy girl tried to say, keeping herself curled up, "his smile seemed forced…" she mentioned, causing her friends to blink out of surprise.

"I don't think it should be our concern," the red and yellow haired girl admitted, closing up her journal and placing it upon the dresser, "but… maybe _you_ could talk to him if you want," she suggested to the animal whisperer, who gasped in surprise while blushing.

"M-M-Me?!" she stuttered in question, "Why me?!" she asked, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

"Aren't you the one who introduced us to the guy?" the partier girl questioned rhetorically before tackling the rainbow haired girl to the ground out of revenge, making her yelp, "Besides," she kept going, "if anyone can make someone smile other than me, it's you!" she noted, making her look over in surprise.

"Pinkie, get offa' me!" the athlete yelled angrily, while Fluttershy glanced off to the side in order to think about their words. She then stood up, putting a pair of slippers on while catching their attentions.

"I'm… just gonna head out for a bit…" she told them, walking towards the door and opening it, leaving the room. The former pony smiled, glad that her friend was willing to take action despite her usual nature. Outside on the balcony at the back of the Pokémon Center, Alain stood at the railing, looking at his Holo Caster as it appeared to be showing him a graph.

" _As you can see,_ " a deep, male voice began through the device, " _we'll need this much energy in order to complete the system,_ " he explained to him.

"Got it," the trainer responded, looking down at the chart, "Also, Lysandre…" he continued somewhat nervously, "how is she doing?" he asked, just as the animal whisperer passed by the doors to the balcony, noticing the black haired teen as she stopped.

" _Alain,_ " the voice from the communication contraption began, " _I know that you're concerned about what's happened to Mairin and her Chespin,_ " he continued, making him grimace, " _but try to realize that not everything will go back to normal right away,_ " he advised seriously, while the Canterlot High girl walked outside.

"Yeah," the Mega Evolution user replied, putting the device down, "Thank you, Lysandre," he told him in gratitude before shutting it off, shoving into the left pocket of his jacket, "Huh…" he sighed deeply, looking down at the dirt battlefield beyond the balcony.

"Are… you okay?" a familiar voice asked, making him perk up instantly and turn around to see Fluttershy standing there.

"Oh, it's you…" he realized, remembering her from earlier as she approached him, "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning back to look at the battlefield while letting her stand beside him, as she was blushing slightly.

"I was… actually looking for you…" she confessed as a response, causing him to look at her in surprise, "It sounds weird, but…" she kept going, nervous to say anything else, "I feel like me and my friends should get to know you more…" she explained, making his eyes widen a little, "D-Does that sound… kinda creepy?" she inquired with a stutter based upon seeing his reaction, waving her arms around in a placating manner.

"No, it's fine," he reassured as he chuckled, glancing up at the starry night sky, "Tell me something," he started to say, catching her attention as she snapped out of her embarrassed state, "do you think your friends keep you from getting stronger as a trainer and person?" he asked, making her blink out of astonishment.

"I… don't know…" she answered honestly, befuddled by his question, "I'm more of a performer than a trainer, so I'm not looking to get stronger…" she admitted, looking off into the distance, "but my friends always give me support whenever I'm in those showcases," she recalled, smiling as she looked up at the starry sky, "And I'll support them whenever they're in gym battles," she added, turning to face the teen, who was quite surprised by her reply.

"You've got a point," he admitted, looking at her, "I wanna become stronger to protect the things that are important to me," he explained, "but I've always felt that because they're so close to me, I can't keep them safe or smiling," he mentioned, causing her to look at him worriedly.

"That's… a good goal to keep in mind…" she noted, feigning a smile to hide her concern, "Have you told them that?" she asked curiously.

"I can't," the trainer responded, turning away and heading towards the doors.

"Ah, wait!" the shy girl cried out, making him stop for a moment to look at her, "You… never told us your name…" she mentioned with a blush on her cheeks. He blinked in surprise, but then smiled as he reached his right hand out to her.

"It's Alain," he replied with a smile, making her eyes widen as she was locked onto that new expression of his.

"H-Hi, Alain…" she stuttered in greeting, taking his extremity with her own and giving it a gentle shake.

"Nice to meetcha'!" a familiar voice chimed in, causing them to look over and see Rainbow, Sunset, and Pinkie standing at the doorway, as the former was the one who spoke up.

"Eep!" Fluttershy yelped, taking her hand away as her entire face turned crimson, much to the confusion of the black haired teen.

"Are you okay?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"She'll be fine," the former pony reassured as she walked over to her, "Talking to others by herself isn't really her thing anyways," she mentioned, while the animal whisperer was still a bright red.

"Besides," the athletic girl began, pointing towards her future opponent, "I'm the one who's gonna be wipin' the floor with you!" she declared proudly, much to his surprise as a grin graced his lips.

"Bring it on," he challenged, having a hint of excitement in his voice.

 **X**

The next morning, the Canterlot High girls and their new friend were gathered at the battlefield behind the Pokémon Center, as both the rainbow haired girl and mysterious teen had taken their positions.

"One on one," the former of the two said as the red and yellow haired girl took her place at the field's center on the sidelines, acting as the referee, "You better not go holding back on me!" she exclaimed to him.

"I could say the same to you," he retorted jokingly, pulling out a Poké Ball and enlarging it, while she did the same.

"What kinda Pokémon do you think mister cool guy uses?" Pinkie asked her shy friend, who glanced away in thought.

"Not sure…" she answered, placing her hand upon her chin. Rainbow suddenly slid her left leg back, acting like a baseball pitcher as she went into a windup.

"Go get 'em, Pidgeot!" she bellowed, launching the spherical containment as a fastball, hurling it into the air. It popped open soon afterwards, as the light from it poured out onto the dirt field, shaping into form and dissipating to reveal the Bird Pokémon, who wore a nicely tied, string necklace with an orange stone that included a curved shape in colors of red and yellow right against his back.

"Pi, jottah!" he squawked, spreading out his wings excitedly.

' _A Pidgeot, huh?_ ' Alain noted inwardly, reeling his arm back, ' _This should be fun,_ ' he admitted to himself, throwing his Poké Ball into the air. Once it opened up, the light from it poured out onto the field, forming before disappearing to reveal the Flame Pokémon, Charizard.

"RRRROOOAAAGGGHH!" he roared into the air, frightening Fluttershy as she hid behind her partier friend.

"So your partner's a Charizard…" the athletic girl noted, pulling out her Pokédex as it opened, loading for a moment before revealing the Fire/Flying type on the screen.

" _Charizard: The Flame Pokémon,_ " it stated in a female voice, " _When expelling a blast of superhot fire, the red flame at the tip of Charizard's tail burns more intensely,_ " it mentioned, as the creature himself had a metal brace around his neck with a blue stone embedded into it that had the same curved shape in black and blue, " _Charizard's wings can carry himself or herself close to an altitude of 4,600 feet,_ " it kept going, " _He or she blows out fire at very high temperatures,_ " it finished, allowing for its user to close it up and put it back into the pocket of her shorts.

"All right…" she began, cracking her knuckles as a grin of anticipation came across her lips, "let's do this, Pidgeot!" she declared, raising up the bracelet upon her left wrist, tapping it with the index and middle fingers of her right hand, causing it to release a plethora of bright golden lights. The Pidgeotite upon the Normal/Flying type's back began to glow as well, releasing streams of orange luminosity that connected with hers, glowing a bright white. All of a sudden, a multicolored aura surrounded his form as his body began to grow larger, and his wings became broader. He also gained a more elaborate crest on his head just before the light vanished, revealing his new form. The tips of his wings and tail feathers were now blue, and his body had become a white color. His eyes had turned red with white pupils, and he gained a streamer-like red plume, extending from a mane of yellow feathers. A red feather projected from the front of his crest while there was a single red highlight on the left side of the mane.

"JJJOOAAATTTAAAHH!" he screeched up into the sky, flapping his wings as he floated upwards, gliding with the wind.

"Respond to my heart, Key Stone!" Alain yelled, tapping the solid upon his ring, "Beyond evolution!" he added, swinging his arm out as the stone released streaks of golden light, "Mega Evolve!" he declared, right as the Charizardite began to release blue streams of luminosity, connecting with his as they turned a bright white. A multicolored aura shrouded him as his body began to morph, becoming more physically fit, even though his arms remained thin. His skin was turning black with a sky blue underside extending from the lower jaw to the tip of the tail. Two spikes with blue tips curved upward from the front and back of each shoulder, while the tips of his horns sharpened, turning blue, and arching slightly upward. His brow and claws became larger, his snout was shorter, and his eyes were now red with white pupils. He also gained two small, fin-like spikes under each horn and two more down his lower neck. The lower trims of his wings were divided into large, rounded points and each third joint was adorned with a claw-like spike. As the multicolored light left his body, he roared loudly into the air while a burst of wind blew out upon the completion of his transformation, breezing strongly past Pidgeot and his trainer, making them flinch. The now morphed Fire/Dragon type breathed blue flames out from the sides of his mouth, and the flame on his tail now burned blue with increased heat.

"Eep!" Fluttershy exclaimed out of fright, whimpering as she continued to hide behind Pinkie Pie, who was beyond amazed. Sunset was surprised as well, but then noticed the ring around the black haired teen's wrist glow mysteriously, causing her to narrow her eyes at it.

"Here we go!" Rainbow shouted, readying herself as she threw her right arm out, "Pidgeot, Steel Wing!" she ordered.

"Pijot!" the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon chirped in response, having his wings glow a bright white before gliding down at his foe.

"Use Steel Wing, too!" the scarf wearing trainer cried out to his partner. The Flame Pokémon's wings expanded as they became covered in a metal grey light. He then flew up at his enemy, countering his attack with his own. Like the sound of swords clashing, the two battlers made sparks fly all across the battlefield, while their masters grinned down below.

"Hm…" the former pony hummed as she watched the fight go on, curious about what the glowing of the mysterious teen's ring meant.

"Now, Dragon Claw!" he commanded, causing the dragon-like creature to develop a blue, claw-like aura over his hands, dashing towards his opponent.

"Feather Dance!" the athletic girl yelled quickly. The Normal/Flying type swung his wings back, throwing them outward to unleash a flurry of blue feathers onto his enemy, who had a blue aura surround his body, appearing to flow downward. He struck Pidgeot however, sending him flying back in midair before he easily regained his balance. Alain just narrowed his eyes in frustration, while the rainbow haired girl smirked, believing that she had the upper hand.

"So Dashie's using her smarts over brute force, huh?" Pinkie inquired, causing Fluttershy to perk up as she managed to stop hiding behind her.

"Yeah…" she agreed, holding her hands closely in front of her chest, "Feather Dance is a move that lowers a Pokémon's physical attack…" she noted, seeing the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon land back near his owner, growling a little.

"Flamethrower!" he ordered. Arching his head back, the Fire/Dragon type unleashed a huge stream of blue streams towards his foe.

"Counter with Hurricane!" Rainbow cried out.

"Jot ah!" the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon squawked in reply, having his wings glow a light blue before flapping them rapidly, creating a huge gust of wind in the shape of a tornado, which came into contact with the flames, thus making a fiery vortex that caught everyone's attention. Their eyes all widened in disbelief at the sight, wondering what exactly was going on. In the meantime, the fire dissipated into thin air, revealing both creatures in battle ready states still.

"Not bad, Alain!" the athlete complemented, stretching her arms out in the meantime while catching his attention, "For my first battle against a Mega Evolution trainer, you're pretty good!" she added, much to his surprise as he blinked, "But this is where it all ends!" she declared, closing her hands into fists before throwing them out, "Giga Impact!" she commanded.

"JAAAHHHTTAAAHHH!" Pidgeot screeched before his body became shrouded by an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appeared in front of his face as he faced Charizard, zooming towards him. With that, an orb of purple energy with streaks of yellow luminosity appeared around him as he kept on charging in.

"Block it!" the black haired teen yelled to his partner, who immediately crossed his arms. The Normal/Flying type rammed into his opponent at full force, appearing to be at a deadlock with him as he only moved back slowly for the moment. However, he struggled to hold his ground any longer, getting struck down to the ground right in his torso before his foe flew up and away.

"Yeah!" the rainbow haired girl cheered, believing that her victory was at hand.

' _Pretty impressive…_ ' her adversary admitted to himself as a grin came across his lips, seeing the dragon-like creature grunt as he started to get back up, much to the shock of the girls, especially his opponent, ' _but they don't know just how strong Charizard can be,_ ' he noted through thought as his comrade stood up, smirking a little.

"Ergh…" the Omni Force member growled out of frustration, "Still standing, huh?" she guessed, clenching her fists as they trembled.

"Use Flamethrower!" her foe bellowed. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon arched his head back before spewing a torrent of blue fire at his adversary, coming into contact with him as he had no time to avoid it.

"JAAAAHHHH!" he shrieked, falling to the ground soon afterwards, while his trainer cringed in fright.

"How come Dashie didn't make Pidgeot dodge that?" Pinkie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A Giga Impact takes time to recharge from…" Fluttershy answered, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

"But shouldn't Pidgeot still be able to dodge attacks?" she questioned as the Normal/Flying type hit the ground with a flurry of dust to follow, "It just seems so weird…" she admitted, narrowing her eyes as the veil of dirt dissipated to reveal the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon standing back up on his talons while flapping his wings, which had scrapes all over them.

"Now Dragon Claw!" Alain ordered. His partner lunged forward as the same claw-like aura encased his hands, charging at his foe.

"Feather Dance!" Rainbow cried out. Folding his wings, her comrade spread them out, unleashing a flurry of glowing blue feathers onto his opponent, causing a bluish aura to appear on his body, flowing downwards. However, that didn't stop him from striking the enemy of his with his energy infused hands, knocking him down to the ground.

"Oh my…" the animal whisper uttered worriedly, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"Yikes!" the partier girl exclaimed out of shock while blinking rapidly. Sunset also watched on with narrowed eyes, amazed by the Fire/Dragon type's power.

"Pidgeot, get up in the air!" the rainbow haired girl yelled, as her partner managed to get away from Charizard, floating back up into the air, "Okay, use Hurricane!" she ordered, throwing out her right fist confidently.

"Pijot!" he chirped in reply, having his wings turn a light blue before flapping them rapidly, creating a strong gust of wind that resembled a large tornado, heading towards his foe.

"Blow it away with Blast Burn!" the black haired teen yelled, making the girls all widen their eyes out of surprise.

"B-B-Blast Burn?!" the shy girl stuttered in exclamation, while her other friends gasped. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon's body suddenly became engulfed in blue flames as he roared into the air. He closed his right hand into a fist and punched the ground with it, sending a wave of energy into the earth. Without warning, red-orange light was emerging from the cracking ground beneath his flying foe, much to his shock as he gasped.

"There's no way that'll reach Pidgeot…" the athlete muttered, still cringing slightly as her teeth were clenched together. All of a sudden, the ground blew up in a fiery explosion, causing the tornado to dissipate while also catching the Normal/Flying type within it. "Pidgeot!" his master screamed. When the smoke from the blast finally cleared, it revealed the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon lying on the ground, transforming back into his original state in a flash of light. Meanwhile, his opponent was still standing, also going back to normal in the same luminosity.

"That's it," Sunset noted, seeing the outcome for herself, "Victory goes to Alain and Charizard," she pointed out, gesturing towards the two with her right hand.

"Jaahh…" Pidgeot squawked sadly, feeling ashamed for losing so easily as his trainer approached.

"It's okay, bud," she reassured as he perked up in surprise, looking at her, "That was our first battle against a Mega Evolution," she mentioned with an excited pump of her fist, "so let's make sure we don't lose any others," she declared, making him nod in agreement.

"Thanks for a good battle," the black haired teen chimed in out of gratitude, causing them to look over at him in surprise, "I was surprised to know that you've never fought a Mega Evolution yourself before…" he confessed as Rainbow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Well, ya know…" she tried to say out of embarrassment, chuckling cheekily as her friends approached, "You think we can have a rematch someday?" she asked, having an excited grin on her face, reaching her right hand out to him.

"Sure," he replied, taking her extremity with his own and shaking it firmly. Fluttershy just smiled, glad that things between the two were on friendly terms, including their Pokémon as they nodded to each other.

 **X END STORY X**

"Whoa…" Leslie uttered out of surprise after hearing the tale, "But… why did it seem like the story was more about Dylan's mom and dad?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow while scratching the side of her head.

"Those two were an important part of my mom getting to learn more about Mega Evolution," Raya replied, looking back up at the sunny sky, "After she faced him, they offered to travel together with him so they could all know each other better," she mentioned on.

"But mister Regulus didn't, right?" the Pokémon trainer asked, receiving a simple nod in response.

"He didn't want to become a distraction for the girls to lose focus on their goals while trying to achieve his own…" she explained, letting out a huge sigh.

"That's so sad…" Sky confessed, tearing up a little.

"Duhhh…" Ducksie agreed, also starting to cry.

"So… did your mom get into any other battles against Mega Evolutions?" Rachael asked, changing the subject as she caught her best friend's attention.

"Well, there was the time she beat Korrina in Shalour City to get her last badge…" she answered, trying to think of another story before widening her eyes in realization, "How 'bout the time she faced Kyoto's… uh… mom in the Kalos League?" she suggested, causing the white haired girl to beam out of surprise.

"You mean the same Kalos League my dad won?" she guessed, standing up proudly. However, she looked to see her friends staring at her suspiciously, making her sweat profusely. "Eh… never mind…" she muttered with a nervous chuckle.

"That sounds like a good story!" the requip user noted, "You can tell us about it over lunch!" she added, standing up with her sister.

"Yay! Lunchies!" the young Hagane girl exclaimed, racing off with her Ducklett. Leslie soon followed after her, excited to eat as well. Raya watched them go, smiling brightly before taking notice of her best friend's hand.

"You coming?" she asked with a wink, causing her to blush out of surprise. She grinned however, taking her extremity, which allowed her to stand up and run with her back to the house.

 **END**

 **Like Gingka's battle against Alain, you can't say Rainbow's loss against him was unexpected, but it does stink. And more Alain X Fluttershy! Yay!**

 **Ahem. Anyways, don't expect Rainbow to be down and out in the dumps anytime soon. Why? Well, here's the summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Fierce fights are happening all throughout the Kalos League, and Ash, Alain, and Sawyer have all reached the semifinals! Only one battle remains in the quarterfinals to claim the last spot in the top, being fought for between Rainbow and Sunset! Rainbow's ready to give Sunset everything she's got, but her friend's not about to give in that easily! Who will win and move on?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **This is one chapter I'm especially excited for, being that it's a Kalos League battle and the fact that it won't be the last one you guys will see. Anyways, I'll catch you guys later!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **Better watch out, Ash! I'm gonna be catchin' up to you in no time!**_

 **Rainbow Dash**

 **To Ash Ketchum in Diancie & The Cocoon of Destruction**


	5. Rainbow's Journey PART II

**Ready for some Kalos League action from yours truly? It's time to get right back into "The Mega Protocol" with the second and final chapter of Rainbow's arc! Now before we begin, there's something I'd like to bring up. Due to a recent message I received from a fan, I've been starting to question whether or not I should have the Rook X Sunset shipping still canon in my fanfic universe. Yes, their kid would still exist, but they might either not get married or end up divorced based on results of the upcoming poll. Between Rook X Sunset and Sting X Sunset, which pairing should I end up making canon?**

 **The poll's up in my profile page for you guys, so make sure to take a look and vote. Anyways, it's time to get back into "The Mega Protocol"!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

"Mmm~!" Leslie moaned delightedly after taking a bite out of her grilled cheese sandwich, chewing it down slowly. Since the girls were left alone for the day at the Hagane residence, Raya decided to make everyone lunch herself. They were all gathered at the kitchen counter, enjoying their meals on paper plates

"This is great!" Sky exclaimed as her cheeks were puffed with food, "Raya, when'd you get to be such a good cook?" she asked, swallowing what was in her mouth and catching the half-rainbow haired girl's attention.

"Well, my parents always sucked at making food for me and Kenny…" she admitted in reply, sitting down next to Rachael, "so I started taking up cooking classes in order to get better," she explained, causing the Ketchum girl and the aspiring gym leader to beam excitedly.

"That makes you sound like quite the housewife," the requip user commented, causing her close friend to suddenly turn red out of embarrassment, having steam pour out from her ears.

"C-Cut it out, Rachael!" she stuttered in plea, making everyone laugh out of amusement.

"Seriously though," the scarlet haired girl began after drinking some water, "thanks for lunch," she said in gratitude as she blinked in surprise, but then smiled. The Pokémon trainer then gulped down the remainder of her food, letting out a breath of air before turning to face her friends.

"All right, let's get this show on the road!" she declared proudly, pumping her right fist up into the air. The others looked at her incredulously, wondering what she was going on about. "We gotta hear that story about missus Tennyson taking on Sunset Shimmer in the Kalos League!" she pointed out, causing them to perk up in realization.

"Just give us a minute," the older Hagane girl said, finishing up her meal. Moments later, they were all gathered in the family room, sitting on the floor while staring at the Equestrian magic user in excited anticipation.

"Okay, okay…" she repeated in plea, holding out her hands in a placating manner as she understood that the story she was about to tell was getting them somewhat riled up, "So like I said," she started to say, "this was the battle in the quarterfinals of the Kalos League between my mom and Kyoto's," she explained, glancing down at the floor, "My mom actually _hates_ remembering it because she was embarrassed for herself…" she mentioned while letting off a small grin.

"Really?" the requip user questioned, arching an eyebrow, "How come?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. Her close friend just chuckled, ready to tell the tale to her and her other friends.

 **RAINBOW'S JOURNEY PART II**

"Huh…" a relieved Sawyer Hughes breathed, trekking down the halls of the Lumiose Stadium, as he had just defeated Tierno in his quarterfinal match thanks to his newly revealed Mega Sceptile. His Pokémon's Lightning Rod ability helped him overcome his foe's Raichu, allowing him to move onto the semifinals. He took out his battle notebook, looking it over while also seeing the Key Stone attached to it.

' _I made it so far…_ ' he noted inwardly, cracking a confident grin before putting the small journal away, ' _and I can't wait to battle against him again,_ " he added to himself. All of a sudden, he noticed his rival, Ash Ketchum, running towards him with Pikachu upon his left shoulder.

"Hey Sawyer!" he greeted, coming to a stop before him, "Great battle," he complimented while holding his right hand out to him.

"Thanks," he replied in gratitude, taking his extremity and shaking it, "It got a little dicey when I got down to only Sceptile though…" he admitted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "but I'm glad I got the upper thanks to his Mega Evolution," he pointed out with a smile.

"That Lightning Rod's a pretty great ability," the raven haired boy mentioned, "I bet you're gonna try using it on us," he added cleverly.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu squeaked excitedly, having his cheeks spark, while the well-dressed trainer before them just laughed.

"I know you're smarter than that, Ash," he said, making the two smile, "If we do get matched up in the next round," he continued, "let's both do our best!" he stated as a confident expression came across his face.

"Promise!" the Omni Force member agreed, letting go of his hand in the meantime.

"Gettin' ready for the semis, boys?" a familiar voice guessed, catching their attentions as they perked up, looking over to see Rainbow Dash trotting towards them.

"Oh, hey Rainbow," her comrade greeted, arching an eyebrow upon seeing her, "Shouldn't you already be on the field?" he questioned as she folded her arms behind her head.

"They said there was some kinda malfunction," she began, "so they're giving us a few minutes before we can head out there," she told them, looking somewhat bored.

"You're up against Sunset, right?" Sawyer guessed, taking out his notebook, "She's got a pretty good team of Pokémon on her side," he mentioned as he began to skip a few pages.

"I know Sunset all _too_ well," the rainbow haired girl stated as she started walking past them down the hall, "No need for a refresher," she added confidently, leaving the two boys to stare at her in surprise.

"She's as confident as ever…" Ash noted, causing his partner to nod in agreement.

"I'm not surprised since she's got a Mega Evolution under her belt," the green haired trainer confessed as he closed his journal and put it safely back into his pocket, "We better be prepared for whoever makes it through," he mentioned, closing his right hand into a confident fist.

"Definitely," his rival concurred, "Wanna sit with us in the stands?" he offered, about to head off.

"Sure!" the well-dressed boy replied, following him out to find his friends. Meanwhile, the Canterlot High student continued trotting down the hall, smiling as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her sporty black shorts.

' _Babe, I hope you're watching…_ ' she said through thought, taking a look at the Key Stone embedded into her silver bracelet. Elsewhere, a french fry covered in chili was gobbled up by a hungry Ben Tennyson, who had a plethora of the food before him as he was sitting at a table with his partner, Rook Blonko.

"Their match is about to begin," the Revonnahgander noted while taking a bite of a small salad in a bowl by using a fork. The Omnitrix bearer turned his attention over to the television as they were eating in the Pokémon Center, seeing several other people surrounding the area. He smiled as he saw the stadium on the screen, knowing that two of his closest friends were going to battle.

' _Good luck,_ ' he inwardly uttered, eating up another fry. Back at the Lumiose Stadium, the large crowd in the stands cheered loudly in excitement, just as both the two semifinalists entered from one of the tunnels.

"Whoa…" the raven haired one uttered out of amazement upon seeing the numerous people in the seats, with both his partner and his rival stunned as well, "And I thought the crowd was big before…" he added, still shocked.

"Hey, Ash!" a feminine voice called out, catching their attentions as they looked down to see Mirajane Strauss waving her right arm to them in greeting, sitting beside Gingka Hagane and Erza Scarlet, while a few seats were open beside the aisle.

"Mira!" the Pokémon trainer exclaimed upon seeing her and the others, heading down over to them with Pikachu and Sawyer.

"So what happened to the others?" the green haired boy asked after they had sat down, as he was on the seat right next to the aisle on his right.

"They went over to sit with Fluttershy and the rest of Rainbow's friends," the beyblader replied, folding his arms over his chest.

"We figured you might get lost looking for them," the requip wizard mentioned, donning a white blouse and a blue skirt, "so we decided to stay here to make sure that didn't happen," she said to them.

"Makes sense," the well-dressed boy admitted with a nod, "Plus, I'm sure your friends would be okay with you sitting with your girlfriend," he added to his rival, who blushed instantaneously.

"G-G-Girlfriend?!" he stuttered out of surprise. The take over wizard could only giggle out of flattery, while the two redheads just smiled at their interaction.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed out of exasperation, letting a drop of sweat roll down the side of his head.

"Serena darling!" an excited Rarity exclaimed before embracing her fellow performer, "Congratulations on almost making yourself Kalos Queen!" she complimented, causing the short haired girl to blush.

"Thanks!" she responded in gratitude. She, Clemont, and Bonnie were gathered around the Canterlot High girls, being the fashionista, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor were with them as well, seating themselves down in the row behind them.

"Who would've thought Rainbow an' Sunset get matched up right now…" the cowgirl muttered, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's pretty incredible," the Lumiose gym leader admitted, sitting down beside the partier girl, who was blushing a little, "In the few battles we've seen so far," he started to say, "they've definitely shown _why_ they made it this far," he noted, pushing his glasses back up.

"But only one of them is movin' on," the dancing trainer pointed out, having recovered from his previous loss, "I've got a feelin' that Rainbow's gonna be the one to do that," he admitted with a snap of his fingers.

"She is pretty strong…" the pigtailed girl sitting beside him remembered with a chuckle.

"Then again," the photographer began to say, causing the others to look over at him, "we haven't really gotten to see what Sunset's capable of as a trainer…" he pointed out as they blinked in realization.

"I've seen Sunset use a Hippowdon, a Pyroar, and an Empoleon in her battles so far," Sawyer told the ones beside him as he went through his notebook in the other section of the stands.

"So her Prinplup evolved…" Ash realized, developing a serious expression in her eyes.

"This book is very detailed..." Erza noted, looking at it closely as it somehow got into her hands, "I wonder if could use this myself…" she added, as the green haired boy panicked upon finding out that his journal was in her extremities.

"H-Hey!" he stammered, reaching over to try and grab it.

"It's starting," Gingka chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked out towards the center of the stadium, which was currently just two tunnels that led to platforms for the trainers to stand on over a large abyss. Coming out from the tunnels were the two remaining quarterfinalists, who brought excited cheers from the crowd as they slowly made their way to the hexagon-shaped pedestals they'd stand upon.

" _And it's finally time for the last quarterfinal match of the day!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, " _We have quite a battle ahead as these two trainers have breezed through battles up to this point!_ " he explained as the girls took their positions on their respective dais, " _Sunset versus Rainbow!_ " he exclaimed, making the crowd rile itself up into a frenzy again.

"Boy, oh boy…" Applejack uttered with a smile, "I'm sure glad those two made it this far," she confessed.

"Definitely!" Fluttershy agreed, "I don't want either of them to lose…" she added, fidgeting nervously with her fingers.

"But… one of 'em's gonna have to if the other needs to move on to the semis…" Pinkie noted, placing her index finger against her right cheek. The sound of whimpering caught her attention as she then noticed her shy friend with tears in her eyes. "I-I-I didn't mean to make you cry!" she stuttered, wondering if she was okay, while the others just let drops of sweat roll down their heads.

" _And the field for this matchup will be…_ " the announcer began through the microphone as a stage rose up, connecting to the two pedestals while also being a field for the trainers, "… _the beach field!_ " he declared, as the stage was a beach-like area with seawater on one side, palm trees on the other, and a lot of white sand in between.

"Whoa…" Bonnie uttered in amazement, smiling widely.

"Ne, nay…" Dedenne agreed, poking his head out from her little purse.

"I wonder if either of the two will use the field to their advantage…" Clemont noted, placing his hand against his chin.

"Trainers!" the well-dressed referee on the field called out, catching the attentions of both quarterfinalists, "This is a three-on-three battle and when one side's Pokémon are all unable to continue, the match will be over," he explained, "Furthermore, you are both allowed to make substitutions at any time," he mentioned, "Now please select your Pokémon!" he shouted politely.

"Don't go holding back on me, Sunset!" Rainbow yelled, taking out a Poké Ball from her belt, pressing its center button in order to enlarge it, "I'm gonna be givin' it my all to make it even further!" she declared, dropping the containment before dribbling it with her feet like a soccer player. She then kicked it up into the air with her right leg, causing it to pop open and have the light from it pour out onto the field. It took shape and dissipated, revealing the Howitzer Pokémon, Clawitzer.

"Craw!" he exclaimed, landing onto the ground with his huge right claw.

"So Rainbow's got a Clawitzer…" Ash noted inwardly as Pikachu sat on his lap.

"You've sure got some flair, Rainbow," the red and yellow haired girl commented as she pulled out her own spherical container with her guild marked right hand, enlarging the device by pressing its center button, "Staraptor, let's go!" she bellowed, tossing the ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light from it poured out and formed before dissipating, revealing the Predator Pokémon, Staraptor.

"Star!" he squawked, floating in midair thanks to his wings, which he flapped occasionally to keep himself elevated. Upon seeing the Normal/Flying type, Serena took out her Pokédex, aiming it towards him before an image of the creature appeared on the screen.

" _Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staravia,_ " it stated in a female voice, " _When Staravia evolve into Staraptor, they leave the flock to live alone and have sturdy wings,_ " it explained, " _The muscles in a Staraptor's wings and legs are strong,_ " it mentioned, " _He or she can easily fly while gripping a small Pokémon,_ " it finished, allowing its user to put it away.

"So a Normal and Flying type against a Water type…" Clemont noted, narrowing his eyes onto the field, "We'll have to wait and see who's got the advantage later on…" he said as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Let the battle… begin!" the referee exclaimed, swinging his right arm down.

"Clawitzer, Crabhammer!" the rainbow haired girl ordered quickly. Her crustacean-like team member then rocketed himself forward, shrouding his gigantic claw in water as it was aimed for his foe.

"Double Team!" the opposing trainer called out. The hawk-like Pokémon's body flashed a bright white before several copies of himself appeared around him. The one his enemy was aiming for was struck, but immediately burst into smoke as the water around his claw went away.

"Zer?!" he exclaimed out of shock, while his master grimaced, gritting her teeth.

"Now Steel Wing!" Sunset commanded. All of a sudden, the real Predator Pokémon swooped down, having both of his wings glow a bright white before slamming them into his opponent, causing him to plummet down to the sandy ground in an instant.

"Craw…" he groaned as the dust cleared, glaring up at his foe.

"Keep your head up, Clawitzer!" Rainbow advised as she closed her right hand into a fist, "Blow 'em away with Water Pulse!" she demanded. The Howitzer Pokémon nodded, jumping up and throwing his gigantic claw into the air, having it open as a sphere of water formed above it. All of a sudden, the sphere burst into waves of water that rushed over all the clones, making them disappear into thin air.

"How clever," Erza commented, folding her arms under her chest.

"Yeah," Gingka agreed as he grinned, "With Clawitzer's Mega Launcher ability, that Water Pulse definitely took care of Staraptor's Double Team…" he noted, seeing the Water type land on the sand with a confident look in his eyes. His owner was also feeling confident, but then saw the smirk on her opponent's face.

"Aerial Ace!" she cried out, causing the both of them to gasp in surprise. The Normal/Flying type suddenly dashed down from above, having his beak glow a bright blue before fiercely striking his enemy, creating a cloud of dust that he immediately flew out from.

"Krrraaww…" the crustacean-like creature muttered out of agony, shaking his head in order to recover. His trainer cringed out of concern, realizing that the fight wasn't going as planned for her.

"Dark Pulse!" she yelled. Her team member quickly responded, throwing out his big claw and opening it, unleashing a beam of dark purple circles of energy that was heading for his foe. He quickly evaded it though, flying around the perimeter of the stage.

"Use Aerial Ace again!" his master ordered, enticing him to have his beak glow once more, speeding down towards his opponent.

"Meet him head on with Crabhammer!" the rainbow haired girl commanded. Shrouding his claw in water, the Howitzer Pokémon rocketed forward as well, intercepting his enemy's attack with his own, creating an explosion of dust at the center of the battlefield.

"Whoa!" Bonnie exclaimed in surprise as the others watched on with widened eyes. The Predator Pokémon emerged from the veil of dirt moments later, which dissipated to reveal that his foe was fine as well.

"Now use Smack Down!" Rainbow demanded quickly. Opening his gigantic claw once more, the Howitzer Pokémon formed a brownish-orange sphere of energy in the shape of a stone. He then fired several of them towards his opponent, who had to quickly maneuver out of the way. His master grimaced in concern, letting some sweat trickle down her face.

"All right then…" she muttered, throwing out her left arm, "Staraptor, Whirlwind!" she called out.

"Star!" he squawked in response, halting himself before flapping his wings rapidly, building up a huge gust of wind that blew by his foe.

"Crrraaww…!" he grunted, struggling to hold on as he could feel himself getting blown away. Without warning, he suddenly turned into a beam of red light that zoomed back to his Poké Ball upon his master's belt.

"Wh-What?!" she stammered out of shock, just before another containment opened, with the light from it pouring out onto the field and forming, dissipating to reveal her Pidgeot.

"Jottah!" he exclaimed, spreading out his wings. The rainbow haired girl was completely dumbfounded as to what had just conspired, while Sunset could let off a smirk as her plan had succeeded.

" _Oh my!_ " he announcer yelled through the microphone, " _By using Whirlwind, Staraptor's sent Clawitzer packing to face Pidgeot!_ " he explained while on the giant screen that showed the two quarterfinalists, the Normal/Flying type's picture appeared in the large hexagon, as the Water type was in one of the smaller ones now.

"I guess Sunset didn't wanna take a risk with Smack Down…" Clemont noted with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, chiming in as the others listened.

"Not only would Smack Down be super effective on Staraptor," the scientist began to say, "but it would make him unable to fly," he mentioned, folding his arms over his chest as the majority of the group around him gasped.

"So she had Staraptor use Whirlwind to switch out in case she ran into trouble…" Sawyer noted as he had his notebook back in his hands again, looking over what he had written, "Wow…" he uttered out of amazement.

"It's a battle between two Flying types now…" Ash pointed out, focusing closely on the field. Rainbow's initial expression of shock turned into a grin as she clenched her fists.

"Now we've got the advantage," she declared confidently, throwing out her right arm, "Let's show 'em who the king of the skies is, Pidgeot!" she called out to her partner.

"Pijot!" he squawked in response, taking off up into the air.

"Star!" the Predator Pokémon chirped, flying up as well, staring at his opponent as they flapped their wings to maintain their positions.

" _Looks like we'll be seeing an aerial battle between two formidable Flying types!_ " the announcer stated over the loudspeaker, " _What could happen?_ " he asked the crowd, who awed the idea of a battle between the two bird-like creatures.

"Staraptor, Steel Wing!" Sunset commanded. Her team member had his wings shine in a bright white light before charging toward his foe.

"Feather Dance!" Rainbow cried out. Folding his wings, the Bird Pokémon then threw them outward, unleashing an array of glowing blue feathers onto his opponent, causing a blue aura to appear upon his body, flowing downward. However, he still struck him with his left wing, making him grimace before getting blown back a bit. "Get him with your Steel Wing!" his trainer ordered. The larger Normal/Flying type then had both of his wings glow a bright white, dashing over and slamming into his enemy with the right one, sending him hurdling towards the ground. He recovered just in time though, floating above it before soaring back into the sky.

"Use Double Team!" the red and yellow haired girl bellowed. As his body flashed a bright white, the hawk-like creature had several clones appear around him, all flying towards their foe.

"Blow 'em away with Hurricane!" the athlete ordered, pumping her right fist. Having his wings glow a bright blue, Pidgeot flapped them rapidly, creating a gigantic gust of wind that formed into a tornado. One by one, the duplicates began disappearing, leaving none to remain as the vortex dissipated.

"Ergh…" the former pony grunted in frustration, "Aerial Ace!" she yelled to her partner. He flew down from above, having his beak glow a light blue while zooming towards his lone opponent.

"Counter with Return!" the rainbow haired girl called out, causing her to widen her eyes in surprise. A whitish outline appeared around the opposing Normal/Flying type's body before he intercepted his enemy, colliding with him fiercely as neither of them backed down an inch. Suddenly though, the Predator Pokémon was blown down towards the ground, crashing into the sand in an instant.

"Staraptor!" his trainer screamed in concern. As the dust settled, it revealed her team member lying on his back in a daze with his eyes in swirls, while his foe landed down onto the ground.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!" the referee declared after a moment to check the fallen creature, "Pidgeot wins!" he stated, gesturing over to him.

" _And it's decided!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone as the losing Normal/Flying type's picture was greyed out on the big screen, " _Pidgeot cleans house and comes up with a big win for Rainbow!_ " he noted, while the crowd went into a frenzy of cheers.

"Incredible…" Erza uttered out of surprise, blinking rapidly.

"But what was that last move Pidgeot used?" Mirajane asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You mean Return, right?" Sawyer chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked over at him, "It's a move that's increased in power if the user really likes his or her trainer," he explained, seeing the rainbow haired girl getting all excited down below.

"Makes sense with Pidgeot being Rainbow's go-to Pokémon," Ash pointed out, receiving a giggle from his crush in agreement. Meanwhile, Sunset returned her Normal/Flying type to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Thanks for the hard work, Staraptor," she said in gratitude to the containment before putting it away, "Nice one, RD!" she complimented, catching her foe's attention, "So you dropped Giga Impact for Return, huh?" she guessed, causing her to sheepishly rub the back of her head.

"Well… I wanna keep my options open…" she admitted, blushing slightly while taking out her partner's Poké Ball.

"Jottah!" he squawked happily.

"Okay Pidgeot," his master began, catching his attention, "take a rest," she recommended, aiming the container towards him, "I'm gonna need to save ya for later," she added, returning the Bird Pokémon to it in a beam of red light.

" _So… what Pokémon will these two trainers select next?!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, just as the red and yellow haired girl brought out another Poké Ball.

"Empoleon, you're up!" she called out, throwing the enlarged containment up into the air. It popped open, and the light that emerged from it poured out onto the ground, coming into form before dissipating to reveal the Emperor Pokémon.

"Pol!" he chirped, getting into a battle ready stance.

"It's Empoleon!" Serena pointed out somewhat excitedly.

"So cool!" Bonnie exclaimed with sparkling eyes of wonder.

" _Sunset's second Pokémon is Empoleon!_ " the announcer noted as the athlete on the other side of the field grinned, seeing the large picture of the Water/Steel type on the screen below her opponent's face, " _Now which Pokémon will Rainbow select?_ " he asked as she took out a container and enlarged it.

"It's time for the rivals to finally fight!" she bellowed, reeling her arm back, "Torterra, go get 'em!" she yelled, throwing the Poké Ball up into the air. It opened, and the luminosity from it took form in midair, dissipating to reveal the Continent Pokémon, who landed upon the sandy ground hard, making a bit of dust build up.

"TERRRAAAAHHHH!" he shouted up into the air as his picture appeared on the screen. The penguin-like creature couldn't help but grin upon seeing the Grass/Ground type, ready to duel with him in an important bout.

 **X**

Upon seeing the two fully evolved starters on the battlefield, the short haired performer took out her Pokédex again, aiming it towards them before a picture of the tortoise-like one appeared on the screen.

" _Torterra, the Continent Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Turtwig,_ " it stated in a female voice, " _Small Pokémon occasionally gather on Torterra's unmoving back to begin building their nests,_ " it explained, " _Ancient people imagined that beneath the ground, a gigantic Torterra dwelled,_ " it added.

"So does that mean the _whole_ Earth's a giant Torterra?" Bonnie asked curiously, blinking in confusion.

"I… don't think so, darling…" Rarity responded as the others chuckled nervously. Serena then aimed her device at the Emperor Pokémon, having a picture of him appear on the screen.

" _Empoleon, the Emperor Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Piplup,_ " it told her, " _Empoleon swims as fast as a jet boat,_ " it noted, " _The edges of his or her wings are sharp and can slice apart drifting ice,_ " it mentioned, " _The three horns that extend from Empoleon's beak attest to his or her power,_ " it explained, " _The leader has the biggest horns,_ " it finished, allowing its user to put it away.

"Those two sure look strong…" Tierno pointed out, while Trevor was crazily taking pictures left and right.

"It's a fated battle," Fluttershy added, causing everyone to look over at her in surprise as she reminisced over the day she received Chimchar, while Rainbow and Sunset got Turtwig and Piplup respectively, all from Professor Sycamore. The latter two of the three vowed to be rivals as their masters were to be competing in Kalos League, and their battle was about to unfold. "Good luck, you two!" the animal whisperer cried out over the cheers of the crowd.

"Let's settle this in one shot!" the athlete declared on the field to her current teammate, "Torterra, Stone Edge!" she ordered. Lifting his front legs up from the ground as his toes glowed a bright blue, the Grass/Ground type slammed his feet against the sandy earth, suddenly causing light blue rock pillars to appear, rushing towards his foe.

"Aqua Jet!" the red and yellow haired girl bellowed. The penguin-like creature became surrounded by a veil of water, rocketing forward and evading the oncoming rock pillars with ease, much to the shock of the one he was facing. He then dove down and slammed into his head, creating an explosion of dust.

"Terraahh…" the Continent Pokémon groaned in pain upon taking the attack.

"Stay strong, buddy!" his trainer cried out in plea, "Use Wood Hammer!" she commanded, making him perk up as he stood his ground. The tree upon his back had a light green aura suddenly appear in the shape of a stump, swinging at his opponent, striking him out from the cloud of dust and making him tumble across the sand.

"Empoleon!" his trainer exclaimed in surprise, seeing him slowly stand up as they saw the veil of dirt dissipate to reveal their enemy grimacing out of agony.

"Wood Hammer's a powerful Grass type move," Sawyer noted, placing his right hand upon his chin, "but it also causes recoil damage for the user," he pointed out.

"Not to mention that Torterra's not exactly built for speed," Ash added as narrowed his eyes onto the field, "All Rainbow can do is have him attack from a distance or wait for an opening…" he explained, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, you two are certainly enjoying this," Mirajane mentioned as she giggled at their serious behavior.

"Aren't you going to say something, Gingka?" Erza asked, turning her attention to the beyblader beside her.

"I'm a spectator, not an analyzer," he replied in a bored manner, keeping his eyes on the battlefield below, "Although," he continued, turning his head to look at his Omni Force teammate, "doesn't that Torterra remind you of yours, Ash?" he asked as he perked up in surprise.

"What?!" the green haired boy exclaimed, "Ash, you have a Torterra?!" he questioned out of shock, causing him to laugh nervously in response.

"Now, Bulldoze!" the athletic girl ordered back on the field. The Grass/Ground type raised up his front right foot, slamming it against the sand to create a shock wave through the earth, heading towards the Emperor Pokémon.

"Dodge and use Metal Claw!" Sunset cried out. Leaping up over the surging earth, the Water/Steel crossed his large wings before having become covered by a silver and white light, shaping into a larger shape of the appendages, heading towards his foe.

"Catch it with Crunch!" the rainbow haired girl yelled. Having his jawline glow a bright white, the Continent Pokémon opened his mouth and bit down on his opponent's right wing just as he swung it down, causing a burst of wind to blow throughout the area.

"Pol…" the penguin-like creature grunted in frustration, realizing that his attack had failed.

"Toss him down and hit 'em with Bulldoze!" Rainbow commanded.

"TRRAAAHHH!" the tortoise-like creature bellowed, lifting his enemy up, much to his surprise before he was slammed against the sandy earth in a cloud of dust. As he was trying to recover, Empoleon felt the ground suddenly surge up, sending him flying into the air in an instant, crashing back down seconds later.

"Em…" he groaned, sitting up with a grimace on his face.

"This isn't good…" his trainer noted, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her left arm. Back in the Pokémon Center, Ben and Rook were still watching their respective girlfriends go at it, having finished their food as their eyes were focused on the screen.

"I wonder what she will do now…" the Revonnahgander said, grinning slightly.

"We'll see," his partner replied, chuckling a little.

"Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Sunset ordered. Getting back on his feet, the Emperor Pokémon screamed into the air, having his beak and crown glow a bright white before leaping forward and spinning like a drill, spreading his wings as he charged at his opponent.

"Stone Edge!" the rainbow haired girl yelled. Slamming both of his front feet against the ground, Torterra suddenly made light blue rock pillars appear out from the ground, rushing up and striking his enemy in a large explosion.

"Eeeonn!" he screeched in pain, while his master widened her eyes out of surprise, cringing a little.

"In that case…" she uttered with clenched and trembling fists, "Aqua Jet!" she cried out. Perking up as soon as he heard his trainer's command, the Water/Steel type regained his balance, becoming surrounded by a veil of water as he rocketed down and struck his foe right on the head.

"Torr…" he groaned out of agony, shaking his cranium while veiled by the dust that remained.

"Don't let up!" the former pony yelled to her team member, "Drill Peck!" she commanded, enticing him to burst out of the water shroud, having his beak glow white again before spinning down and slamming his opponent right on his shell, making him fall down in an explosion of dust, much to Rainbow's shock as she gasped.

" _Whoa!_ " the announcer's voice exclaimed through the microphone as the crowd kept on cheering, " _After taking a seemingly endless barrage of attacks,_ " he began, " _Empoleon's giving it his all against Torterra!_ " he declared, making the spectators in the stands get whipped into a frenzy.

"Yipee!" Pinkie cheered, hopping up from her seat.

"Let's wrap this up, Empoleon!" Sunset declared as the Emperor Pokémon landed down on his feet before her, while the veil of dust dissipated to reveal his foe still grimacing in pain, "Use Hydro Cannon!" she called out. Opening his mouth wide open, the penguin-like creature had a giant orb of water shoot out from it, heading straight for his enemy.

"Block it with Wood Hammer!" Rainbow quickly yelled, causing the Continent Pokémon to perk up, having a light green aura surround the tree on his back, forming into the shape of a stump. He swung it out in order to counter the giant orb of water, grunting all the while before it burst into an explosion of mist, shrouding him from view. As the veil dissipated moments later, it revealed that he was still cringing out of agony, but was otherwise unharmed.

"No way…" the former pony uttered with widened eyes of disbelief.

"Bulldoze!" the athletic girl commanded. Stomping his front right foot against the ground, the Grass/Ground type made a shockwave surge through the earth, striking his opponent as he went flying up into the air.

"Oh my…" Mirajane said out of amazement from the stands.

"Hydro Cannon's a powerful Water type move," Sawyer noted, narrowing his eyes onto the field, "but the user needs time recharge after using it…" he mentioned.

"Empoleon, Aqua Jet!" the red and yellow haired girl ordered. Covering himself in a veil of water once again, the Water/Steel type zoomed down towards his enemy.

"Finish him off with Wood Hammer!" the rainbow haired girl bellowed confidently. Torterra's tree became veiled by the light green aura once again, being shaped like a stump. He swung it at his opponent, intercepting him as sparks flew all over the field. Their trainers squinted as they awaited the result of the deadlock, while the crowd watched in anticipation. All of a sudden, the penguin-like creature was blown away, tumbling across the sandy earth before coming to a halt within a cloud of dust. It dissipated to reveal him lying on his stomach with swirls in his eyes, groaning out of pain.

"Empoleon is unable to battle!" the referee stated after a moment to examine the fallen battler, "Torterra wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the tortoise-like creature.

"Terraaahhh!" he shouted in delight, but was still grimacing in agony while hearing the cheers from the crowd.

" _And down goes Empoleon!_ " the announcer yelled through the microphone as the Emperor Pokémon's picture on the big screen was greyed out, " _Sunset's on the ropes with only one Pokémon left to fight Rainbow's three!_ " he mentioned, while the former of the two he girls he spoke off returned her team member to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, appearing to thank him for his work in the meantime.

"Rainbow's incredible!" Shauna exclaimed, blinking rapidly out of shock.

"She's got the upper hand, that's fer sure…" Applejack noted, folding her arms over her chest. Fluttershy could only let off a small grin, prepared for what was coming next as the former pony took out another spherical containment from her belt, enlarging it by pressing its center button.

"Torterra, you still good to go?" the rainbow haired girl asked the Continent Pokémon, catching his attention.

"Tor!" he responded with a nod, which made her grin.

"Hey, Sunset!" she called out, causing her to perk up and look over at her, "Your last one's Hippowdon, isn't it?" she guessed as her opponent narrowed her eyes out of contempt, "Even if you beat Torterra," she continued with a confident and boastful expression, "you've still got Clawitzer and Pidgeot to worry about," she noted. A few moments of silence passed before the red and yellow haired girl cracked a grin, confusing her foe as she arched an eyebrow.

"You're in for a big surprise, Rainbow," she stated, reeling her arm back before throwing the Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light from it poured out onto the sand, taking form before dissipating to reveal the Rabbit Pokémon, Lopunny.

"Lah!" she exclaimed, getting into a ready stance.

"Wh-What?!" the athletic girl on the other side stammered out of shock, "Wait a sec…" she uttered, looking at the Normal type more closely before widening her eyes in realization.

"That's not just any Lopunny…" Serena pointed out from the stands, looking over at Fluttershy, who could only smile slightly.

"Mm-hmm," she said in response, "She was my Lopunny," she told the group with her, much to their surprise as they all gasped.

"Fluttershy's?" Mirajane questioned from the other area of the stands, looking back at the battlefield, "I thought she looked familiar…" she mentioned, quite stunned by the sudden revelation.

"But why does Sunset have her now?" Ash asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Pika…" Pikachu added, folding his arms over his chest.

"Hey, look!" Sawyer chimed in, pointing towards the bunny-like creature. Around her neck was a silver pendant that had a cream-colored stone with a curved shape inside of it that had colors of brown in different shades.

"That's a Mega Stone…" Gingka noted out of surprise, looking back at the field.

"So Lopunny must be able to Mega Evolve…" Erza mentioned, narrowing her eyes as she placed her hand onto her chin.

" _And Sunset's third and final Pokémon is Lopunny!_ " the announcer shouted over the loudspeakers as the creature's picture appeared on the big screen, " _Can she manage to stage a comeback with just her?!_ " he questioned loudly.

"Surprise or not," Rainbow began, closing her right hand into a fist, "we won't let you win that easily!" she declared confidently, "Torterra, Bulldoze!" she commanded.

"TERRRAAAHH!" he exclaimed in response, stomping against the ground with his front right foot, causing a shockwave in the earth that began surging towards his new opponent. The former pony just grinned, nodding to her partner.

"Dodge and use High Jump Kick!" she called out. Leaping over the surging sand, the Rabbit Pokémon had her right leg down glow a bright white before zooming down and striking her foe right on the head with it, creating a cloud of dust. She leapt out of it quickly, landing down as the veil cleared to reveal the Grass/Ground type shaking his head out of agony.

"Ergh…" the athletic girl growled in frustration, "Wood Hammer!" she ordered, throwing out her arms to their respective sides. A light green aura in the shape of a stump shrouded the tree on the tortoise-like creature's back before he charged forward.

"Use Ice Punch!" the red and yellow haired girl demanded. The Normal type's right arm became shrouded in a blue, icy aura before she lunged out at her foe. He swung his tree down at her, but she quickly ducked, dashing over to his underside and striking it with her glowing fist, causing it to freeze up before shattering in a misty explosion.

"Torterra!" the rainbow haired girl screamed in fright. The veil then dissipated to reveal her team member lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, groaning all the while.

"Torterra is unable to battle!" the referee declared after a moment to examine the Continent Pokémon's condition, "Lopunny wins!" he stated, making the crowd cheer excitedly.

"Whoa," Ash uttered out of surprise, having his eyes tremble.

"Thanks for the hard work, Torterra," Rainbow said out of gratitude, returning her fallen teammate to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Take a good rest," she recommended, putting the containment away. She then gave off a serious expression, realizing that her battle was not about to end as easily as she originally imagined.

 **X**

Everyone in the stands could only watch the battle in anticipation, wondering what would happen now that one of the leader's Pokémon had just been taken out. Ben and Rook were still observing the match from the Pokémon Center, eyeing the television with focused expression. Back in the stadium, the athlete took out another spherical containment, enlarging it before reeling her arm back.

"Clawitzer, go!" she exclaimed, tossing it up into the air. Once it popped open, the light from it poured out onto the ground, taking shape before dissipating to reveal the Howitzer Pokémon.

"Crraaw…it, zer!" he shouted, readying himself for battle as the crowd cheered.

"Rainbow must be getting an uneasy feeling at this point…" Erza noted, narrowing her eyes as she folded her arms underneath her chest as she caught the attentions of the ones around her, "Even if she knows that Lopunny, she's probably unsure of what she's capable of," she explained, placing her right hand onto her chin.

"That's true…" Gingka agreed, narrowing his eyes onto the battlefield, seeing the confident expressions on both the Rabbit Pokémon and her trainer's faces.

"If Rainbow starts feeling like she's backed into a corner," Ash began to say, "she'll try to overpower her opponent rather than come up with a strategy," he mentioned, becoming all the more nervous for his Omni Force teammates.

"Crabhammer!" the rainbow haired girl bellowed back on the field. The crustacean-like creature then veiled his giant claw in water before rocketing forward, aiming it at his foe.

"Counter it with Ice Punch!" Sunset cried out to her partner.

"Lah!" she responded, lunging out while covering her right arm in a blue, icy aura. She intercepted her opponent's watery claw with her extremity, causing sparks to fly as the liquid froze up into ice, shattering in a misty explosion, which blew them both back.

"Use Dark Pulse!" the athletic girl yelled, throwing out her right arm. Opening his gigantic claw, the Water type unleashed a beam of dark purple circles of energy, heading straight for his enemy.

"Focus Blast!" the former pony commanded. Sticking out her hands, the Normal type formed a yellow orb of energy upon them before throwing it out, having it counteract with the circles as they both exploded in a bright, sparkling light.

"Guess Lopunny didn't lose her Showcase style…" Rainbow noted with a small smirk, "Clawitzer, Smack Down!" she ordered. Her team member opened his claw again, having a brownish-orange sphere of energy appear in the shape of a stone. He launched multiple ones towards his enemy, who quickly jumped out of the way of each projectile, leaping high up into the air.

"High Jump Kick!" the red and yellow haired girl called out. The Rabbit Pokémon's right leg glowed a bright white as she was heading straight down towards her opponent. However, he aimed his claw up at her, firing another projectile to counter the oncoming kick as an explosion occurred. His foe jumped out from the smoke looking just fine though, getting back into her ready stance.

"Krrraaahhh…" he growled angrily, snapping his giant claw.

"Gonna take a lot more than that to stop Lopunny!" Sunset stated proudly.

"Think so, huh?" her opponent inquired as a response, raising her right arm up into the air, "Wash her away with Water Pulse!" she yelled to the Howitzer Pokémon, who immediately leapt up and opened his claw, forming a bright blue sphere of water upon it. Closing his extremity, the sphere burst into waves of water that were about to splash over his enemy.

"Dodge and use Giga Impact!" the former pony called out, much to the surprise of the trainer on the other side as her eyes widened. The Normal type jumped up and avoided the waves as they splashed onto the sand, having a yellow light flash underneath her feet while being aimed at her foe. She then became shrouded by an orb of purple energy with yellow streaks of light swirling around it, diving down like an arrow towards the Water type, who gasped in surprise. He had no time to react as he was immediately struck, creating a cloud of dust that veiled them.

"Whoa…" Bonnie uttered out of amazement as the others were just as stunned. The bipedal, bunny-like creature leapt out from the dust cloud soon after, appearing to be just fine. Once the veil cleared, it revealed Clawitzer lying on the ground in a daze, having his eyes in swirls.

"Clawitzer is unable to battle!" the referee stated after examining his condition, "Lopunny wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the Rabbit Pokémon, who bowed gracefully. The crowd cheered loudly as the crustacean-like creature's image on the screen was greyed out.

"I didn't know Lopunny was so powerful…" Pinkie noted from the stands, blinking rapidly in shock.

"Nor did I…" Rarity concurred, also amazed.

" _The match is even!_ " the announcer's voice boomed through the microphone, " _Both Sunset and Rainbow are down to their final Pokémon!_ " he mentioned, while the latter of the two trainers returned her team member back to his Poké Ball.

"Thanks a bunch, Clawitzer," she said in gratitude, putting it away before grabbing another and enlarging it.

"So it all comes down to this…" Sawyer pointed out, clenching his fists over his knees.

"We're likely gonna see both of them Mega Evolve, too," Ash mentioned as an excited expression came across his face.

"I've never actually seen a Mega Lopunny before," his rival added, taking out his notebook from the pocket in his shirt and opening it up, "This'll definitely be a great experience," he admitted while grinning.

"Definitely!" the raven haired boy beside him agreed.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked, while the others around them smiled.

"I'm really proud of how far Sunset's come with Lopunny," Fluttershy confessed from the other section of the stands, catching the attentions of those nearby, "Back when I gave her to Sunset, she was really scared…" she told them, remembering how her former Pokémon was quite tearful about being left in the care of another, "but I told that she'd become much stronger if she went with Sunset," she finished, smiling brightly.

"It certainly seems like she's _that_ strong now," Clemont noted, pushing up his glasses as they shined from the sunlight.

"Dennay!" Dedenne concurred as he poked his head out of Bonnie's purse.

"Huh…" Rainbow breathed back on the battlefield, holding the lone Poké Ball in her right hand.

' _This is it,_ ' she inwardly declared, reeling her arm back.

"Pidgeot, let's do this!" she bellowed, throwing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light from it came into form, dissipating to reveal the Bird Pokémon.

"Jottah!" he squawked, flapping his wings to remain airborne. The former pony grinned upon seeing him, closing her hands into fists.

"Here we go!" the rainbow haired girl exclaimed, crossing her left arm over her chest before tapping the Key Stone embedded into her silver bracelet, causing streaks of yellow light to shine out from it, "Pidgeot, Mega Evolve!" she bellowed as her partner's Pidgeotite began to let out streams of orange-colored luminosity, connecting with hers and making them shine a bright white. All of a sudden, a multicolored aura surrounded his form as his body began to grow larger, and his wings became broader. He also gained a more elaborate crest on his head just before the light vanished, revealing his new form. The tips of his wings and tail feathers were now blue, and his body had become a white color. His eyes had turned red with white pupils, and he gained a streamer-like red plume, extending from a mane of yellow feathers. A red feather projected from the front of his crest while there was a single red highlight on the left side of the mane.

"JJJOOAAATTTAAAHH!" he screeched up into the sky, flapping his wings as he floated upwards, gliding with the wind.

"Now it's my turn," Sunset declared as she grabbed her black leather jacket, tossing it up into the air before it landed down behind her. She then pulled out a silver necklace from underneath her light blue shirt, revealing the exact same pendant as her partner's, with a Key Stone embedded into it. "Time to shine, Lopunny!" she called out, grabbing the solid in order to have it release several streaks of yellow light, "Mega Evolve!" she yelled as streams of cream-colored light emerged from the Rabbit Pokémon, connecting with hers as they became a bright white. A multicolored aura surrounded her form as she began to undergo change herself. The tufts of fur above her eyes combined to form a single butterfly-shaped crest, and the cream fur on its wrists and ankles became more round instead of fluff. However, the rest of its lower leg fur was seemingly disappearing, while her ear fur now began to only cover two segments of each ear in fluffy bands. When the luminosity around her vanished, it revealed that the fur on her neck, upper torso, fingers, and legs blackened, forming a pattern on the legs that resembled ripped pantyhose.

"Lah, puh!" she exclaimed excitedly, punching and kicking around in an excited manner.

"Ooh!" Pinkie awed with her eyes sparkling at the site.

"She's certainly become more excited…" Shauna noted with a nervous smile, while Tierno nodded.

"Now I can get behind that kinda dancing!" he admitted, folding his over his chest.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered in amazement from the other section of the stands.

"So that's Mega Lopunny…" his trainer said, narrowing his eyes onto her as his rival began taking down notes in his journal with a pen.

" _This battle is about to be an all-out brawl between two Mega Evolutions!_ " the announcer bellowed over the loudspeakers, " _Can you feel the excitement in the air?!_ " he asked the audience, who cheered loudly in response. Meanwhile, the two fighters on the field stared each other down, ready to battle upon the commands their respective trainers.

 **X**

A cool breeze drifted through the beach field as the two remaining battlers were prepared to fight. Their masters let a moment of silence passed before Sunset raised her right arm, throwing it out.

"We're settling this first!" she declared confidently, "Loppuny, High Jump Kick!" she commanded to her partner.

"Lah!" she responded, dashing forward in an instant and having her legs glow a bright white before taking a huge leap towards her foe.

"Whoa!" Sawyer exclaimed out of shock.

"What a jump!" Ash noted in surprise.

"Counter with Steel Wing!" Rainbow yelled, enticing the Normal/Flying type to have his wings glow a bright white, swinging the right one out to intercept his foe's left leg, causing a burst of wind to rush throughout the arena.

"WAH!" Rarity shrieked, flinching as the wind was undoing her hair. The Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon landed back on the ground, while her foe continued floating overhead.

"Feather Dance!" his trainer cried out, enticing him to fold his wings inward before swinging them out, unleashing a plethora of glowing blue feathers down towards his opponent.

"Blow 'em away with Focus Blast!" the former pony bellowed. The morphed Normal/Fighting type then formed a yellow orb of energy upon her hands, firing it at the oncoming feathers, blowing them away in an explosion of smoke.

"Ergh…" the athletic girl on the other side of the field growled in frustration, sweating a little.

"One more time!" Sunset called out to her partner. She formed another sphere of energy on her fur covered extremities, launching it up at the Normal/Flying type.

"Block it with Steel Wing!" the rainbow haired girl shouted to him. He had his wings glow white once again before crossing them to defend himself from the oncoming attack, which exploded upon contact, veiling him in a cloud of smoke.

"Pijaaahhh!" he squawked as he flew out of it quickly, appearing to be fine.

"Hm…" Sawyer hummed as he flipped through his notebook, trying to find something specific that he had written.

"I wonder why neither of them are trying to dodge…" Erza pointed out as she narrowed her eyes onto the battlefield.

"They're both countering their attacks pretty well, but still…" Mirajane added in agreement, placing her hand onto her chin. The green haired boy suddenly gasped, causing the ones around him to look over at him in surprise.

"That's why!" he exclaimed, turning a page of his journal.

"High Jump Kick!" the red and yellow haired girl ordered, throwing out her right arm. Having both of her legs glow a bright white, Loppuny hopped before taking a great leap up into the air, heading straight for her opponent.

"Use Return!" Rainbow yelled, enticing the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon to have a whitish outline appear on his body, dashing forward and colliding with his foe's right leg, causing sparks to fly upon impact. The two fighters grunted, not letting up an inch with their attacks.

"No Guard?" Ash questioned from back in the stands, blinking out of confusion.

"It's Pidgeot's ability when he Mega Evolves," his rival replied, looking back at the field, "No Guard basically means that any of Pidgeot's moves will hit his opponent unless they're countered," he explained, causing the ones around him to widen their eyes in surprise, "However…" he continued, "the same goes for Loppuny," he added, making them all listen more closely, "Her moves will hit no matter what, too…" he mentioned as they were all stunned.

"So they can only counter one another…" the requip wizard noted, folding her arms across her chest as the deadlock between the two battlers continued.

"Looks like we're even!" the athletic girl pointed out to her opponent.

"'Fraid not, Dash," she responded with a chuckle, causing her to blink in shock, "Lopunny, Ice Punch!" she ordered. Shrouding her left arm in an icy blue aura, the morphed Normal/Fighting type struck her foe on his head, making it become encased in ice before shattering.

"Pijah!" the bird-like creature squawked in pain as he had to move away, while the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon landed back on the ground.

"Ergh…" Rainbow growled angrily, "Use Hurricane!" she commanded quickly, closing her hands into fists. Having recovered from the punch he received, the Normal/Flying type had his wings glow a bright white, flapping them rapidly to create a large gust of wind.

"Focus Blast!" Sunset called out. The bipedal, bunny-like creature immediately formed another yellow orb of energy upon her hands, firing it up into the sky and making it intercept the building gust, causing it to disperse into a gigantic burst of wind.

"Wowee!" Pinkie exclaimed as she could feel the gust rushing past her and her friends in the stands. The rainbow haired girl back on the field grimaced out of frustration, realizing that she had lost the immediate upper hand.

' _I can't… lose like this!_ ' she inwardly declared, remembering how the three current semifinalists got to where they were in the tournament, making her all the more determined.

"Pidgeot, Steel Wing!" she bellowed with clenched fists.

"JOTTAAHH!" the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon screeched loudly, making his wings glow a bright white once again, diving down towards his opponent, who started grinning.

"Counter it with Ice Punch!" her trainer yelled. She lunged forward as both of her hands became covered in the blue, icy aura, using them to intercept the attempted strikes from her enemy. They continued countering one another, while their trainers sweated nervously, wondering who would hold out the longest. All of a sudden, the movement of the bird-like creature's wings started to slow up, much to his surprise as he was then struck repeatedly by his opponent, getting blown back.

"Pidgeot!" his master cried out in concern as he grimaced, shaking his head.

"Now use High Jump Kick!" Sunset commanded to her partner, who immediately dashed forward as her legs glowed a bright white. Before he could even react, the Normal/Flying type was kicked up into the air, spinning out of control until he regained his balance, gliding with the wind.

"You okay?!" his owner asked worriedly, receiving a quick nod in reply from him.

"Finish it up with Giga Impact!" the former pony shouted, much to her foe's shock as her eyes widened. Lopunny ran out and leapt onto one of the palm trees, using it as a foothold to jump high over her opponent, spinning around like a ballerina as she aimed her feet at him. Rainbow grimaced out of frustration, but kept her cool as she knew what was to come.

"Use Return!" she ordered.

"Pi!" Pidgeot responded, having a white outline shroud his body before zooming up at his enemy, who was shrouded by an orb of purple energy with yellow streams of light as she dived down towards him. They collided, sending sparks flying as neither of them backed down an inch. All of a sudden, an explosion occurred at the point of their deadlock, veiling them in smoke. The Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon came out of the cloud seconds later, somersaulting before landing upon the sand on her feet, appearing to be just fine as she grinned.

"Checkmate, Rainbow," the red and yellow haired girl quipped, while the crowd looked at the scene in awe, believing that the match was over. However, the athletic girl just cracked a smirk.

"Think so, huh?" she guessed, causing her foe to blink in surprise, "Pidgeot, Hurricane!" she cried out. All of a sudden, the veil of smoke dispersed to reveal the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon spread out his wings as he screeched into the air, much to the shock of everyone else.

" _Incredible!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the microphone as the bird-like creature had his wings glow a bright white, flapping them rapidly, " _Pidgeot's still able to battle after an endless barrage of attacks!_ " he pointed out, while the gust being built up formed into a tornado, which was heading straight for the morphed Normal/Fighting type, who didn't move as she grimaced.

"And after using Giga Impact…" Mirajane began as focused on the field.

"Lopunny won't be able to move!" Ash realized worriedly, sweating a little. The bipedal, bunny-like creature found herself enveloped by the vortex, blowing her up into the air with powerful winds.

"LLAAAAAHHHH!" she screamed in agony.

"Lopunny!" her trainer called out in concern. The tornado then dissipated, allowing her partner to fall back down towards the earth, appearing to be unconscious.

"Checkmate," Rainbow uttered smugly. However, the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon's eyes began to stir before they instantly opened, allowing her to see as she twirled around, landing safely upon the ground.

" _And Lopunny manages to handle Pidgeot's Hurricane!_ " the announcer yelled over the loudspeakers, while both the rainbow haired girl and her team member were completely stunned.

"Oh my…" Rarity uttered out of amazement.

"Looks like this is it," Applejack noted, folding her arms over her chest.

"All right Lopunny," Sunset began as her confident smile returned, "High Jump Kick!" she ordered to her teammate.

"Lah, puh!" she replied, leaping up at a great height, having her legs glow a bright white.

"Block it with Steel Wing!" the athletic girl yelled somewhat desperately. The Normal/Flying type had his wings glow white as well, crossing them in order to defend himself from his foe's attack, which struck. He was barely managing to endure it as sparks flew across the sky.

"Up and over, Loppuny!" the former pony cried out. The bipedal, bunny-like creature nodded in response, grasping the tops of her enemy's wings with her ears, swinging herself up above him as he squawked in surprise. "Focus Blast!" her trainer commanded, throwing out her right arm. The Normal/Fighting type then formed a yellow orb upon her hands, using her right one to reel it back before spinning and launching down at her foe.

"Quick! Block it!" Rainbow demanded with widened eyes of fright. Her partner turned himself too late however, getting struck right in the chest in an explosion smoke, plummeting to the ground moments later. He slammed down hard, creating a veil of dust that shrouded him, while his opponent somersaulted safely back to the earth on her feet. When the shroud cleared, it revealed the Mega Evolved Bird Pokémon lying upon his stomach, groaning in pain as he was trying to get back up.

" _What a hit!_ " the announcer yelled from the booth as the crowd watched on in stunned silence, " _Is this the end of the line for Pidgeot?!_ " he inquired loudly, making the rainbow haired girl grimace as her expression had become panicked.

"Come on Pidgeot, get up!" she shouted to her team member, enticing him to push himself off of the ground with his wings. The Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon got back into a ready stance as she was prepared to keep on fighting. However, her trainer had a stoic expression on her face, closing her eyes as she knew the match was over. Back in the Pokémon Center, Ben and Rook understood the situation as well, glad that the red and yellow haired girl had won over the former's girlfriend, but also sad for her in the meantime.

"It's over, isn't it?" Sawyer inquired, receiving a nod in reply from his rival, who folded his arms over his chest seriously.

"Please, Pidgeot…" the athletic girl begged as her legs quivered, "I promised… that we wouldn't lose again…" she told him, sniffling a little as tears started filling her eyes.

"Rainbow…" Fluttershy uttered as she could see her dropping down to her knees.

"Pijah…" the Normal/Flying type chirped, beginning to cry as well. He was willing himself to stand back up for the sake of his trainer, but the pain within his body told him otherwise. Tears dropped down from his master's eyes as she clenched her fists in frustration, reluctant to accept the fact that the battle was indeed over.

"We… lost…" she finally admitted, much to her partner's shock as he transformed back into his original form in a flash of light. Upon seeing that, the referee raised his right arm straight up into the air.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" he stated, gesturing to his right, "Lopunny wins," he began, "and the victory goes to Sunset!" he declared, making the crowd cheer excitedly.

" _And it's decided!_ " the announcer shouted through the microphone, " _Sunset is moving onto the semifinals!_ " he added as the big screen now showed her picture above the 'WINNER' sign, " _She'll be joining Alain, Ash, and Sawyer in the top four of the Lumiose Conference!_ " he mentioned as her picture moved down to join the other three semifinalists. She let off a small smile in excitement, while her Pokémon morphed back to normal in a flash of light. Grabbing her jacket from behind her, she trotted over to her longtime classmate, who was embracing the Bird Pokémon lovingly out of gratitude for his hard work.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash," she chimed in as the Normal type came over as well, catching their attentions, "You shouldn't be crying after giving me such a tough time out there," she advised to her as she stood up, wiping her eyes with her right arm.

"Yeah…" she agreed as she chuckled, "Congratulations," she complimented, causing her and the creatures with them to smile in agreement.

" _Now…_ " the announcer began, causing them to look towards the big screen, along with everyone else in the stands, " _it's time to reveal the matchups for the semifinals!_ " he stated as the cards with the trainers' faces began to jumble all over the screen. Everyone watched in anticipation for what they would be, while the 'VS' finally appeared. The pair of cards on the top left corner were Ash and Sawyer, who smiled excitedly from their seats. On the bottom right was the match that would be between Sunset and Alain. The former of the two widened her eyes upon seeing her card next to his, along with the Rabbit Pokémon.

"So it's finally time for our battle…" the green boy noted, looking over at his rival.

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod, developing a smile across his lips.

"We'll be wishing you the best of luck!" Mirajane mentioned as she got their attentions, "Although," she continued, "I will be rooting for Ash when the battle comes," she confessed, making him blush out of flattery as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked while letting his cheeks spark.

"Alain…" the former pony uttered, narrowing her eyes onto her opponent's card as drops of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Sunset," Rainbow began, catching her attention as she turned to face her, "I can't tell ya to win since I don't know what'll happen," she confessed, rubbing her nose with her right index finger, "but I can wish you the best," she stated, causing her to blink in surprise before smiling in agreement. She crossed her right hand over her chest, showing off her Fairy Tail guild mark.

"Of course," she said. Meanwhile, her future foe had been watching the battle from afar in the stands, but it hadn't seemed to interest him as he walked off with a scoff, heading down the dark tunnel.

 **X END STORY X**

"So… what do you think?" Raya asked, opening her eyes to see her friends' reactions. However, she was surprised to see that they were all teary-eyed from hearing her tale. "Wha…?" she uttered, somewhat shocked as sweat rolled down from her head.

"Oh, sorry…" Rachael apologized, wiping her eyes, "It's just… stories that involve your mom crying are really sad…" she admitted, much to the half-rainbow haired girl's confusion.

"How?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Duh!" Leslie chimed in, "She _never_ cries!" she stated with outstretched arms, causing the Tennyson to give off a dumbfounded expression.

"Well… anyways…" she continued, ignoring what just happened, "that's all the stories of Mega Evolution my mom told me…" she said to the girls around her.

"They were great!" Sky replied happily.

"Duck!" Ducksie agreed, spreading her wings out.

"We should totally start a story about miss Sunset facing Alain!" the Ketchum girl added excitedly, closing her hands into fists.

"But… none of us know how that story goes…" the requip user told her, making her blink in realization.

"Oh, right…" she sheepishly noted, rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, what about your dad?" Raya suggested as the Pokémon trainer perked up, "There's gotta be something about him, right?" she guessed.

"Absolutely!" the white haired girl replied, proudly standing from her seat, "My dad's Greninja given him so many amazing stories!" she mentioned as she reminisced over the tales she had heard.

"We're talking about Mega Evolution, ya know," Rachael pointed out, making her puff her cheeks angrily.

"I don't wanna tell a story about that!" she whined, defiantly turning her head away.

"Come on," the scarlet haired girl pleaded, "We're trying to follow a trend here," she added as she grimaced upon knowing.

"Eh… fine," Leslie reluctantly agreed, "But just so you know, this story does involve my dad's Greninja," she stated to the group, "and I won't be telling it until after dinner," she added with a huff.

"That's… okay…" the Tennyson girl reassured as she and the others chuckled nervously, knowing that their friend was overdoing her attitude just a little.

 **END**

 **A frustrating but gratifying loss for Rainbow Dash. While her overconfidence is one of her many downfalls as a character, she can definitely learn to grow from this. Here's hoping Sunset Shimmer gives Alain a good fight!**

 **Anyways, the story's going on hiatus again until further notice. I want to get "Compassion" done before summer's end and I want to devote my time to being with my friends and family, along with getting ready for college. Yes, I know I manage to dedicate a lot of time to writing for you guys, but this is as much as I can do now, especially with what's ahead in my next three years at school.**

 **Now for a summary on Ash's story with his Charizard!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **After winning finally returning home to Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum is excited to show all of his**_ _ **Pokémon the phenomenon that is Ash-Greninja! While they all seem impressed, Charizard becomes envious of how close the two have gotten and challenges Greninja to a battle in his form! Will Charizard emerge victorious?! Will Ash manage to overcome the guilt he's carrying?! Will the two reach new heights together like Ash-Greninja?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Now with all of that out of the way, please be patient and remember, PLUS ULTRA!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **A rival's someone who really gives you the thrill of a battle!**_

 **~Rainbow Dash to Sawyer in From A to Z**


	6. Ash's Journey

**Hey everybody! Ready for another story from "The Mega Protocol"? This time, we'll be taking a look at Ash's quest to master the phenomenon of Mega Evolution! However, it's more or less going to be him and Charizard re-establishing their bond as trainer and Pokémon in order to overcome their own problems.**

 **What are they exactly? Well, let's find out!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

The sunset finally overlooked Mistralton City as the sky turned a brilliant orange from its gaze. Inside, the girls were working together on dishes, as they had all just eaten dinner courtesy of Raya and Rachael's cooking. They were all eager to hear Leslie's story about her father, but she decided to hold off on telling it for the moment. From then, they all ended up showering separately before gathering the living room, dressed in their night clothes while awaiting the tale from the white haired girl.

"So, who's ready for a story?" she asked with a sly look in her eyes as she bore a set of olive-colored pajamas upon herself.

"Me! Me! Me!" Sky repeated excitedly with a wide smile, wearing a bright blue nightgown.

"Wasn't your dad's Mega Evolution his Charizard?" her older sister asked, causing the Ketchum girl to cringe as she glanced off to the side, "I always heard that he was pretty powerful," she mentioned while donning a short-sleeved t-shirt and pajama pants over her form.

"Yeah, same here," the half-rainbow haired girl agreed as their friend closed her hands into fists.

"You know, I really don't like telling this story…" she confessed, folding her arms over her chest with a huff.

"Because it's about Mega Evolution?" the requip mage guessed, arching an eyebrow, while the others blinked at her.

"Well, there's that…" the Pokémon trainer replied in a downcast tone, much to their surprise as they saw the reluctant expression on her face, "but it's also because my dad was heartbroken back then…" she told them as their eyes widened.

"Wait…" the little Hagane girl uttered, "Didn't your daddy still end up getting together with your mom?" she questioned, somewhat befuddled.

"This was after their journey in Kalos ended, isn't it?" the Equestrian magic user inquired in realization, making Leslie nod in response.

"Dad was really upset at the fact that Fairy Tail had disappeared back then…" she noted as she remembered her father's stories within her own thoughts, "but he was even more upset at the fact that mom was the one who told him about it," she pointed out.

"And that's because she didn't want him to feel bad about it," Rachael added as the girls all gave off worried expressions towards their friend. However, she suddenly cracked a small smile, much to their confusion.

"You know," she began with a chuckle, "I think that's when my dad finally got over being a nervous wreck around mom," she confessed as her friend all blinked out of surprise, "If he hadn't gone out of his way to go through Mega Evolution," she continued, "maybe… I wouldn't be here today," she said, causing them to all gasp in shock.

"Either way, you'd still be here," Raya responded with a grin, "After all," she kept going, "you're our friend," she finished as everyone else nodded in agreement. Leslie then took a deep breath of air, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"Okay, here goes…" she uttered, about to tell her father's tale.

 **ASH'S JOURNEY**

In a field of bright gold wheat stalks, Ash Ketchum lied upon the ground, dressed in his greyish-black pants, red sneakers and cap, black fingerless gloves, and his short-sleeved blue jacket with the black Fairy Tail guild marked printed upon the right pectoral of it. He seemed to be fast asleep, being at peace as the wind blew by, rushing through his messy hair. His eyes suddenly fluttered open, looking up at the clear blue sky.

"Wha…?" he uttered in confusion, sitting up as he blinked a couple of times to focus his vision. Glancing around the area, he saw nothing but stalks in sight, arching an eyebrow. "Where am I?" he asked while standing up, "Pikachu? Mom?" he called out, trying to spot someone, but to no avail. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something in the distance, turning to see it as he gasped in surprise. It was a girl who had lovely, long white hair, having the hair at her forehead tied and pinned up above her head. She was a well-endowed, slim woman with a yellow Chinese dress over her form and black sandals upon her feet. The Pokémon trainer beamed upon spotting her, not noticing that her left thigh was bare as her dress swayed with the wind. "Mira!" he cried out, racing over to her quickly, "Do you have any idea what's going on here?" he questioned, while she had yet to face him, "Where is everybody?" he asked as he finally came to a stop beside her. Suddenly, he took notice of the fact that she had been unresponsive, seeing a somewhat of a dead look in her eyes. "M-Mira?" he stuttered while being somewhat scared, reaching his right hand out to her, "What's wro-?" Before he could finish his sentence, he looked to see tears streaking down from her eyes, followed by her shattering into pieces like glass. His eyes widened in complete shock, and the whole environment around him went dark. He didn't even have time to comprehend his situation as he could feel himself plummeting into the black abyss, screaming all the while. His eyes then jolted open with a start, breathing heavily as he sat up, wearing his yellow and green pajamas as he was in his room, lying on his bed.

"Pika pi?" a familiar voice asked, getting his attention as he saw the Mouse Pokémon beside him, having a concerned expression upon his face.

"Sorry, buddy…" his trainer apologized, taking him into a caring embrace, "Guess I just had another bad dream…" he confessed with a nervous chuckle, making his partner all the more worried.

"Pi…" he uttered, jumping down onto the floor and trotting back to his own little bed, falling asleep rather quickly. In the meantime, his owner opened up a few of the buttons on his pajama shirt, looking to see the black Fairy Tail guild mark upon his pectoral. He sighed in relief, but then lied down upon the bed with his eyes still open.

' _Dammit…_ ' he inwardly cursed, gnashing his teeth together out of frustration. Later that morning as the sun finally came up, the two of them enjoyed breakfast alongside Delia and Mr. Mime, telling them of their journey through the Kalos region, and all of the interesting things that had happened. They had just returned last night to their home in Pallet Town, evidently worn out from the adventuring and such they endured in the last few days there. The single mother cried upon seeing her son safe and sound, especially after the chaos that conspired in Lumiose City. Nevertheless, she was happy to have him back home and proud that he become a champion.

Surprisingly though, she noticed that he was downplaying the fact that he had won the Kalos League, focusing more on re-watching the recorded battles on the television to see what he could learn from them. She didn't think it was too much for her to worry about since she knew that he was still a growing trainer, but she noticed that he wasn't really giving off serious vibes about watching the bouts, looking somewhat depressed. Later that evening as she was preparing dinner with the two creatures in the house, she looked over at the stairs, seeing that the raven haired boy had yet to come down. She let out a deep sigh, removing her oven mitts and placing them on the counter before heading upstairs, seeing the open door to the teen's space.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" she asked as she walked into her son's room, seeing him lying face down on his bed, buried into his pillow while still wearing his regular clothes.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" he claimed as his voice was muffled by the plush surface he lied upon.

"I know that's not true, Ash," his mother responded, enticing him to lift his head up and look over at her. He sat up, revealing his downcast expression as he glanced down at the floor. The woman sat down beside him while at the doorway, Mr. Mime and Pikachu peeked in and listened in on their conversation. "I don't understand what's bothering you so much…" the female of the two confessed, "You won the Kalos League, saved the region from disaster, and even made a lot of new friends…" she listed off as he clenched the sheets of his bed tightly, biting his bottom lip, "And yet you seem so depressed…" she finished, looking to see him let out a breath of air.

"I guess so…" he concurred as he took a moment to blink, "Mom, do you think you would ever feel guilty if someone cried because of you?" he asked, much to her surprise as she lightly gasped.

"Wh-Where's this coming from?" she questioned with a stutter, becoming a bit more concerned. A light blush came across the Pokémon trainer's cheeks as he was reluctant to immediately respond.

"A girl I traveled with back in Kalos who was from another world…" he started to say as a reply, "When she had to leave, she told me something that she didn't want me to know about…" he explained, "Something that she said would hurt me a lot, and it did…" he confessed as everyone listening looked at him in astonishment.

"And this girl…" his mother uttered, glancing off to the side for a moment, "Does she mean a lot to you?" she guessed. A moment of silence passed by as the trainer reminisced over the memory of his crush's lovely white hair.

"Yeah," he answered, managing to let off a small smile. Delia grinned as she stood up from the bed, walking towards the doorway.

"I'm gonna leave you be for a bit," she told him, "Dinner'll be ready soon," she mentioned, heading out as Mr. Mime and Pikachu quickly hid themselves from her. The latter of the two soon walked into the room, seeing his master regain his depressed expression.

"Pika pi…?" he asked worriedly, seeing him grit his teeth in frustration as he remembered the moment he had just talked about.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _"I'm so sorry, Ash!" Mirajane apologized as tears streaked down her cheeks, "I knew it'd break your heart if you found out that the guild broke up…" she continued, sniffling a little, "so I kept myself from telling you…" she confessed, covering her eyes with her hands as she let out more cries. Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Gingka, Pikachu, Dedenne, and Squishy were beyond surprised by her confession, while Erza stood by with a saddened expression on her own face. Meanwhile, the raven haired boy could only look on at his crush with shock plastered upon his face, completely stunned by the news as his eyes trembled._

 **END FLASHBACK**

Teardrops fell onto the floor from the Omni Force member's eyes as he struggled to choke back his sobs.

 _'She cried… because of me…_ ' he inwardly realized as his partner jumped up to him.

"Pika, pi pika!" he squeaked seriously, catching his attention as he looked at him with glossy eyes, "Chu, pika pika, pi!" he told him as his paws were clenched. Seeing his resolute expression as his cheeks sparked made the Pokémon trainer blink in surprise before he wiped his eyes with his right arm, letting off a little smile.

"You're right, Pikachu," he agreed as a newfound confidence flowed within him, "Just because something like that happened doesn't mean it's over," he stated as his fists had stopped trembling, "I know that I can help make things right again," he added, opening his extremities back up while standing, "Come on," he beckoned, enticing the Electric type to jump onto his left shoulder before they both walked out, as the Kalos League victor had reaffirmed himself.

 **X**

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Delia asked her son the next morning, as they were at the front door of the house with the Mouse Pokémon on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, mom," he reassured in reply, adjusting his cap, "We'll be back here before lunch!" he promised, racing off along the dirt road excitedly. His mother was surprised that he seemed so happy compared to what she had seen when he returned home, but smiled herself, glad that he was as jubilant as ever. He kept on running without so much as a care in the world, smiling as he saw the windmill behind the building he was heading towards.

"Pika pi!" his partner cried out, pointing at the lab.

"Yep," his master responded, "We're finally gonna see everyone after the Kalos League!" he declared in glee, chuckling cheekily as he ran all the way to the backyard of the complex, hopping over the wooden fence. As his feet touched the earth, he suddenly felt it start shaking, turning and gasping to several Tauros charging towards him in a stampede. "WAH!" he yelped as he and Pikachu braced themselves for impact. However, the ground stopped rumbling, enticing him to open his eyes, seeing that his pack of Normal types were mooing happily around him, having avoided giving him a good trampling. "Phew…" he sighed in relief, laughing cheekily as the Electric type jumped down to the grassy surface.

"Pika, pika pi?" he asked the leader of the Wild Bull Pokémon.

"Mooaahhhnnn!" he responded happily with the rest of the pack, all excited to see their owner as he let off a small grin.

"Swelllo!" a familiar voice squawked from above, catching his attention as he looked up and beamed to see the two Normal/Flying types: Swellow and Unfezant, who were both flapping their wings to remain airborne.

"Hey guys!" he called out in greeting, waving his right hand up in the air, "How ya doin'?" he asked them. The latter of the two bird-like creatures then flew into the distance of the large area, while the former came down, landing before his trainer. "You look great, Swellow," he noted, causing him to blush out of embarrassment.

"Swellll…" he chirped sheepishly, turning away in flattery.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon chimed in, going over to them.

"Unnn!" the Proud Pokémon cried out, catching their attentions as they saw her flying back towards them alongside Noctowl and Staraptor. Following them from below were the rest of Ash's Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Charizard, Muk, Kingler, Snorlax, Heracross, Totodile, Bayleef, Torkoal, Glalie, Corphish, Donphan, Sceptile, Quilava, Gible, Gliscor, Buizel, Infernape, Torterra, Krookodile, Boldore, Palpitoad, Scraggy, Snivy, Pignite, and Oshawott. They all let out excited cheers as they charged towards their master, with the Seed Pokémon and Sea Otter Pokémon jumping into his arms first.

"Osha!" the latter of the two exclaimed excitedly, nuzzling his head against the raven haired boy.

"Great to see you, Oshawott," he responded with a grin, "You too, Bulbasaur," he added to his longtime teammate.

"Bulba!" he said happily. Everyone else gathered around him, having awaited the chance for a reunion for so long. A short while passed after they had all gotten their chance to greet him, allowing him some space as he let out a breath of air.

"Okay," he began to his comrades as he reached down to his belt, pulling out five Poké Balls and enlarging them, "you guys ready to meet the others?" he guessed, receiving sounds of excitement in reply from them, "All right, come on out!" he yelled while tossing the spherical containers up into the air, which popped open almost immediately. The lights that emerged from them spilled out onto the ground and came into form, dissipating to reveal Goodra, Noivern, Hawlucha, Talonflame, and Greninja. They all let out their own sounds of greeting to their master's other comrades, as they all beamed excitedly upon seeing them in person.

"Gib…" the Dragon/Ground type uttered in surprise to see the Sound Wave Pokémon and the Dragon Pokémon before him, having his eyes sparkle.

"Goo, goo drah!" the Dragon type said with a wave.

"Nuuoooii!" the wyvern-like creature agreed as he nodded. Meanwhile, the Scorching Pokémon flew up into the air with Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, and Unfezant, racing the across the skyline alongside them.

"Haw, lu, LUCHHHAAA!" the Wrestling Pokémon yelled as he made several different poses, intriguing Pignite, Scraggy, Heracross and Infernape as they watched on in wonder. In the meantime, the Water/Dark type was getting better acquainted with his new companions, talking with Sceptile while a few others were gathered around him.

"Sep, sep ty," the Forest Pokémon pointed out.

"Ja," the frog-like creature agreed with a nod, taking his hand and shaking it gently.

"Weird to know that I've got a Sceptile and Charizard, huh Greninja?" Ash inquired, placing his hands at his hips as he walked up to them.

"Gre," his teammate croaked while chuckling a little. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as they interacted with Ash's comrades from Kalos, except for the Fire/Flying type as had his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes onto the Ninja Pokémon. He then reminisced over seeing his astounding transformation and incredible victories against Sawyer's Mega Sceptile and Alain's Mega Charizard about a month ago, having witnessed them at the laboratory on television.

"Roagh…" he grumbled, stomping forward. The noise of him approaching caught the attentions of the others, who looked over at him.

"Hey Charizard…" his trainer greeted, but then noticed that he wasn't paying him any attention, focusing instead on the Water/Dark type. They stared at each other for what felt like a solid minute as everyone watched on in confusion.

"Ragh!" the Flame Pokémon suddenly roared, much to their surprise as he pointed at his new teammate, "Rah, roah rah," he added, gesturing towards himself.

"Do… you wanna battle Greninja?" the raven haired boy guessed with an arched eyebrow.

"Rrragh!" the dragon-like creature replied as he smirked excitedly. His future opponent merely crossed his arms over his chest, nodding in agreement.

"Huh," their master uttered, "Guess a battle's one way to get to know each other…" he noted while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Pika!" Pikachu concurred, jumping up onto his shoulder. The two fighters glanced at each other seriously, ready to have a friendly bout.

 **X**

Ash's team members gathered around as both the Flame Pokémon and the Ninja Pokémon looked at each other in the open, grassy field, as their trainer went over to the latter's side.

"Charizard, you sure you wanna take us on solo?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Rah!" he responded, breathing fire out from his mouth. Everyone on the sidelines cheered excitedly, prepared to witness the battle.

"All right, you've got the first move, Charizard!" the Omni Force member called out to the Fire/Flying type.

"Roagh!" he roared as a reply, flying up into the air. His tail glowed within a green aura in a scale-like pattern, dashing down at his foe.

"Counter with Cut!" the trainer yelled. The frog-like creature then reached to his side, pulling forth a glowing white needle, swinging it out to block his enemy's tail. The two remained in a deadlock before their respective attacks finally cancelled each other out. The dragon-like creature made his wings glow a bright white as he raced towards his opponent, letting out a roar.

"Pika pi…" the Mouse Pokémon uttered out of amazement.

"Double Team!" his owner commanded to the Water/Dark type.

"Ja, ja!" he croaked in reply, clapping his hands together as his body flashed a bright white, followed by several clones of himself appearing around the area. The Flame Pokémon just charged down and slammed into them with his wings, making them all disappear in puffs of smoke.

"Now, Water Shuriken!" Ash ordered, swinging out his left arm. The Fire/Flying type widened his eyes in surprise, turning around to see his enemy pull off a four-pointed star of water from the markings on each of his legs, smacking them together before hurling it at him. Fire billowed up within his mouth as he then spewed a torrent of flames to counter the attack in an explosion of steam.

"Fur, fur nay…" Infernape said in surprise, blinking rapidly with the others. Charizard then dove down with his wings glowing a bright white once again, heading straight for his foe.

"Aerial Ace!" the trainer cried out. Greninja had both of his feet become covered by a bright blue light, leaping up from the ground and using them to intercept his enemy's wings. After a moment of deadlock, the Ninja Pokémon reeled back his right leg, using it to kick the dragon-like creature right in the face, sending him flying back. He grimaced in pain for a moment, growling angrily before spewing more flames from his mouth. "Greninja, use Cut!" the raven haired boy shouted to his teammate, who formed another glowing needle from his right hand, using it to slice through the flames as he zoomed past his enemy, sheathing it away as if it were a sword. All of a sudden, an explosion occurred around his opponent as he roared in agony, landing down onto the ground while breathing heavily.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cheered excitedly.

"Haw, haw lu!" Hawlucha yelled out of glee. The rest of the Kalos native creatures were also showing their enthusiasm for their comrade, while the others were stunned that a strong veteran was being beaten by an unfamiliar face.

"Nice going, Greninja!" the Omni Force member complimented as the frog-like creature hopped back over to him.

"Gren," he croaked in response, folding his arms over his chest as he saw his adversary land back on the ground, roaring loudly.

"Looks like Charizard's not ready to throw in the towel just yet…" his owner noted, adjusting his cap, "Why don't we kick it up a notch?" he suggested to his teammate, who nodded in response. The two of them then slammed their right fists over their guild marks, much to the confusion of the Fire/Flying type until he saw a torrent of water erupt underneath his foe. Everyone gasped in shock, including him as he saw the Water/Dark type's appearance change. His head had become red and black like his master's hat and hair respectively, and his upper body resembled his jacket. A second later, the water swirling around him broke apart, rushing towards the center of his back in the form of sphere, which then morphed into a large shuriken.

"S-Septiii…" Sceptile stammered out of disbelief, as he and the others aside from the Electric type and the Kalos natives were completely shocked by the transformation.

"Charizard, you ready to take on our full power?" Ash questioned to the Flame Pokémon, who was sweating a little.

"ROOOAAAAGGGHHH!" he suddenly roared as a reply, puffing his chest out before unleashing a torrent of flames at his opponent, who still stood with his arms crossed.

"Use Cut!" the Omni Force member commanded to his partner. He quickly reached down to his legs, pulling out a kunai-shaped blade of blue from each of them, throwing them out to completely block the oncoming fire, slicing through it like a knife through hot butter. The dragon-like creature widened his eyes out of shock, becoming all the more nervous about continuing the battle as he gnashed his teeth together. However, he disregarded his fears as he zoomed down, having his wings glow a bright white. He slammed the right one at his foe with all his might, while he crossed his arms over his face, managing to endure it as he merely slid back. His trainer cringed in agony though, grabbing at his right arm.

"Her, cro…" Heracross said in surprise as he blinked with most of the others.

"Nokuu…" Noctowl hooted in agreement, having himself perched atop the Bug/Fighting type's horn.

"Aerial Ace!" the raven haired boy ordered, throwing out both of his fists. All of a sudden, the Fire/Flying type saw his enemy jump up in front of him, slamming his glowing blue extremities into his chest, sending him hurdling down towards the ground. He regained his balance just in time though, having the green, scale-like aura appear over his tail again as he dashed for his opponent again. "Counter with Water Shuriken!" his owner yelled.

"Ja!" the Ninja Pokémon responded, grabbing the large shuriken upon his back once he landed down, charging forward with it and using it to intercept his adversary's tail like a sword. They were in a deadlock for a moment before the energy around Charizard's tail disappeared, allowing for Greninja to reel back his right arm back and launch the armament at him, striking him at the chest.

"RAAAGGGHHH!" he roared in agony, falling down to the ground in a heap as dust built up around him.

"P-P-Pig…" Pignite stammered out of shock, as he wasn't used to seeing one of the most powerful team members get beaten down so easily. Everyone else practically had the same reaction, including Pikachu and the Kalos native creatures. Once the veil cleared, it revealed the Flame Pokémon rising back up onto his feet, having scrapes all over his body. A reddish-orange aura enveloped his form, causing Ash to let off a grin.

' _So that's Charizard's Blaze, huh?_ ' he inwardly guessed, closing his hands into fists.

"RRROOOAAAAHHH!" his longtime teammate bellowed in fury as his body became enveloped by bright orange flames. The raven haired boy actually gave off a look of surprise, recognizing the aura as he saw his wings spread out. He then slammed his right fist against the earth, sending a wave of energy throughout it as bright orange lights emerged from the surface, which cracked.

"Greninja, use your Water Shuriken!" the Omni Force member called out quickly. With a new shuriken formed upon his back, the Water/Dark type grabbed it with his hands, holding it at one point with both hands before throwing it down and piercing it into the ground. A rush of water burst out from the surface like a geyser, intercepting the orange lights as an explosion of steam occurred right there. The Flame Pokémon tried to see through the veil, squinting as he couldn't tell if his attack had worked or not. "Cut!" his owner suddenly yelled, much to his surprise while without warning, his foe dashed by him with a single kunai of blue energy in his left hand, slicing through the steam and landing behind him. As his weapon dissipated into thin air, he folded his arms over his chest confidently. All of a sudden, the Fire/Flying type fell over onto his right side, having swirls in his eyes while groaning in agony. His opponent morphed back to normal in a watery light, turning back to see him completely worn out.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered out of surprise. Everyone then immediately ran out towards the fallen fighter, checking to see if he was okay.

"Charizard!" Ash exclaimed, rushing over himself as the dragon-like creature attempted to stand back up, moaning out of pain all the while, "Hey, take it easy…" his master advised in a placating manner, catching his attention. He smiled at him in a reassuring manner, but he glanced away ashamedly, much to his surprise.

"Now what's all the commotion about?" a familiar voice asked, making everyone turn around to see both Professor Oak and Tracey approaching them.

"Oh, hey Professor!" the raven haired boy called out, waving his right arm as the two beamed upon seeing him, "Sorry I didn't give you the heads-up that I was here…" he apologized while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Nonsense!" the researcher replied as he walked up to him, "Your Pokémon should come first, of course," he mentioned, making him chuckle in agreement.

"Good to finally see you again, Ash," his assistant chimed in, reaching his hand out to him.

"Glad to see you too, Tracey," he responded while taking his extremity and shaking it gently.

"So," the lab owner began, catching their attention, "were you just having a little friendly scuffle with your Pokémon?" he inquired, noticing the scrapes on the Flame Pokémon in particular.

"Yeah…" the trainer answered, "Charizard challenged Greninja and lost," he told them as the Fire/Flying type grimaced slightly.

"Ah!" the old man exclaimed as he went over to the Ninja Pokémon, "So _this_ is the Greninja that we saw in the Kalos League!" he noted excitedly, observing him closely as he sweated a little.

"Jah…" he uttered, somewhat perplexed as he blinked. All of a sudden, the dragon-like creature keeled over onto his knees, causing everyone to gasp as they saw him gnashing his teeth together out of agony.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked him while jumping onto his master's shoulders.

"Ragh…" he groaned in reply, trying to stand up again.

"Let's get you fixed up inside," the sketch artist suggested, immediately hurrying over to carry him by the right arm. The raven haired boy did the same with his left arm, slowly walking with him towards the building. The Water/Dark type shared a quick glance with him as he headed off, ending with the Flame Pokémon putting his head down in shame.

 **X**

Later that afternoon, all of Ash's Pokémon were out and about, playing together with their new friends in the yard. Meanwhile, he, Pikachu, Professor Oak, and Tracey were inside, tending to the Fire/Flying type as bandages were wrapped around his arms and head, while some spots were treated with regular band aids.

"There we go!" the assistant said after placing the last bandage upon the dragon-like creature's left cheek.

"Rah…" he uttered out of gratitude, making him smile.

"To think Charizard would've lost in a battle…" the researcher pointed out as he placed his hand at his chin, causing the one in particular to look away ashamedly, "Then again, he was at a type disadvantage," he mentioned in a reassuring manner, but to no avail as he just huffed.

"Charizard's faced so many Pokémon over the years," his trainer remembered, catching his attention, "I guess he just feels bad about how he lost…" he inquired as he received a mere nod in reply from his teammate.

"Pika, pika pi," the Electric type reassured, jumping up onto his longtime friend's left shoulder, "Pika, chu pika," he stated, causing him to smile a little.

"Charizard was really enthusiastic about seeing you in the Kalos League," the lab owner added as they looked over at him, "In fact, all of your Pokémon were excited to see you participate," he said, walking over to them and taking the Mouse Pokémon into his arms.

"They must be pretty upset that I didn't call on them for the battles, huh?" Ash guessed while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"No, they were glad you won!" Tracey answered, "They were really inspired by the battles you had," he mentioned, much to the surprise of the raven haired boy as he blinked.

"You see, Ash," Oak began, "Charizard here has been training himself ever since he saw your Greninja in action against those you fought," he explained while rubbing Pikachu's head.

"Cha~!" he cooed out of delight.

"So that's how you learned Blast Burn…" the Omni Force member realized as his longtime teammate kept on looking down in shame.

"We got worried when we heard about what was happening to Lumiose City after the League," the sketch artist mentioned, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah…" the Pokémon trainer replied as his partner jumped back onto his shoulder, "All that crazy stuff with Team Flare and Zygarde…" he remembered, reminiscing over when he himself was captured, "Everything's okay now though," he reassured, "Everything's just…" he tried to say, but stopped himself as an image of his crush's lovely white hair flashed through his mind, making him develop a depressed expression.

"Ash?" the researcher uttered in confusion, snapping him away from his thoughts as he perked up.

"Heh, sorry…" he apologized with a nervous grin, rubbing the back of his head, "Guess I kinda got lost in my memories there…" he admitted, while the Electric type looked at him worriedly.

"It's unfortunate that the Champion's League had to be cancelled for you because of all that happened," the lab owner mentioned, folding his arms over his chest, "At least it gives you time to think about what you should do next," he told his prodigy, who still had a somewhat nervous smile across his lips.

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed with a chuckle. Meanwhile, the Flame Pokémon glanced over at the windows, looking outside to see his former opponent training alongside Totodile, Oshawott, Buizel, Corphish, Kingler, and Palpitoad. He sighed deeply, closing his hands into fists of frustration.

"So, are you planning on sticking around for a while longer?" Oak guessed, causing the raven haired boy to grin happily. After spending a bunch of time with his Pokémon later in day, while his Charizard recuperated inside the laboratory, he left the complex, promising that he'd visit he'd visit again tomorrow as Pikachu ran with him back home. By sunset, they reached the house as the human of the two opened the door, going inside.

"Mom, we're home!" he called out.

"Pika pi!" the Mouse Pokémon added as he hopped down from his master's shoulder. They both walked into the kitchen together to see Delia and Mr. Mime working on dinner, smiling upon noticing the Omni Force member.

"How was seeing everyone again?" his mother asked, taking off her oven mitts for a moment.

"Great," her son answered, "I left the rest of my Pokémon with the professor so they could get to know the others better," he told her, trotting over to the kitchen table.

"Sounds like you had a good time!" the ponytailed woman noted happily, "Oh, and Ash?" she said, catching his attention as he stopped for a moment, "There's a package for you on the table," she pointed out, enticing him to look over and see the brown cardboard box just sitting there.

"Who sent it?" he asked her curiously with an arched eyebrow.

"Someone from Kalos, I think…" she answered, placing her right index finger against her cheek, "You can go ahead and open it," she added with a smile, making him immediately beam as he raced upstairs with the Electric type, "I'll call you down for dinner in a minute!" she called out, grinning as she loved seeing the smile on his face. Once he reached his room, he got up onto his bed and ripped the box open, seeing that there was a briefcase inside.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned while blinking. Both he and his owner were perplexed, but disregarded it as the latter of the two brought it over to his desk, unlocking both clasps upon it.

' _I hope this isn't some kinda prank… or worse…_ ' he muttered inwardly, sweating a little as he lifted the case open. The first he saw was a piece of paper over what appeared to be a few other things. He took it first, flipping it over to see handwriting upon it.

 _Hey Ash!_

 _I hope you're doing okay after what happened in Lumiose City. In all honesty, I got scared when I heard that you had been captured by those Team Flare guys. But anyways, I really want to thank you for helping save my hometown. Even if it's still covered in vines, it's still Lumiose City, and I'm glad you and the others saved it._

Reading the words brought a smile to the raven haired boy's face, glad that he had made someone in particular happy.

 _Before you left for home, Clemont and the others told me about how you've raised a couple of pretty powerful Pokémon, including a Charizard! Knowing you, yours is probably way stronger than mine was in the Kalos League._

Upon looking at the sentences, the Pokémon trainer gasped lightly, realizing who had sent him the package.

 _Being a photographer at heart, I guess I wasn't really cut out for stuff like Mega Evolution. So that's why I decided to give you my Key Stone and Charizardite._

The Omni Force member then glanced down and widened his eyes to see a blue Mega Ring with its Key Stone embedded into it, and a yellow bracelet that had an orange stone with a curved shape in red, yellow, and orange.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu uttered in amazement, taking both objects out of the case to look at them more closely, while his master continued to read the letter.

 _I feel like someone like you would be able to use that Charizardite better than I ever could. I wish you the best of luck on whatever adventure awaits you next!_

 _Sincerely, Trevor_

"Thanks, Trevor…" Ash said out of gratitude, but then noticed more writing at the bottom of the page.

 _P.S. I also processed a bunch of pictures from your celebration for you to keep! You and your girlfriend look really cute by the way!_

Seeing the last sentence caused the raven haired boy to blush out of embarrassment, realizing that he was referring to his crush as he placed his hands over his face.

"Pika!" the Electric type squeaked, catching his attention as he perked up to see him holding up a few photographs in his paws. He handed them off to his owner, allowing him to look at them while smiling. The first few images were of him holding the trophy alongside his travelling companions and his team for the Kalos League. Then, the pictures delved into him being beside the Kalos Elite Four, Diantha, Professor Sycamore, Alain, Sawyer, and all of his other rivals in separate shots. The last one he saw was likely his favorite. He was standing alongside Gingka Hagane, Erza Scarlet, and Mirajane Strauss while being embraced by the latter, all smiling towards the camera while showing off their guild marks.

"Great memories…" he uttered to himself, grinning as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Ash?" a familiar voice said, getting his attention as he turned to see his mother at the doorway, smiling at him, "Dinner's ready," she told him.

"Awesome!" he replied excitedly, "Come on, Pikachu!" he beckoned, racing out with his partner and heading downstairs. Delia was about to follow him down, but then took notice of the fact that one of the pictures had fallen down onto the floor. She picked it up, noticing the unfamiliar girl who was hugging her son. She widened her eyes slightly, but then smiled, placing it into her pocket before going out as well.

 **X**

Back at the Pokémon Lab in the backyard, Greninja was hurling a few throwing stars of water at some rocks, causing them to break into pieces upon impact.

"Osha…" Oshawott beamed, being alongside Totodile, Buizel, Corphish, Palpitoad, and Kingler as they were witnessing a demonstration of the Ninja Pokémon's power, "Sha!" he suddenly declared, removing his scalchop from his chest and throwing towards another rock. However, it merely bounced off of the solid, landing onto the ground pathetically. Everyone just blinked out of befuddlement, staring at the Sea Otter Pokémon as he began to sweat a little. He just let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"Jah…" the Water/Dark type sighed, but then smiled, knowing that he and the others were eager to learn from him. Suddenly, they all heard the sound of something stomping towards them, turning to see Charizard approaching, still bandaged up from his match earlier in the day. He actually just passed by the others, not paying them any attention as he headed for the large tree in the distance. Stars began showing in the orange sky as the sun was setting quite quickly. The frog-like creature saw his former opponent seat himself down right under the large sapling, placing his hands onto his knees.

"Pal toh?" the Water/Ground type croaked to his fellow amphibious friend, wondering if he was all right.

"Gren, ninja," he reassured in response, trotting over to the tree, while the others watched on anxiously. The Flame Pokémon was lost in his thoughts until he saw his former foe coming, enticing him to turn his head away. However, he then noticed Greninja seat himself down beside on the other side of the sapling, not saying a word.

"Ragh?" he guessed to him.

"Ja," he replied while shaking his head, "Gre, grenin, neen ja," he mentioned, looking over to his new friends training together.

"Rrooahh…" the Fire/Flying type agreed, clenching his fists tightly as he remembered their earlier bout, "Rrraggh…" he growled out of frustration while gnashing his teeth together. The Ninja Pokémon said nothing as he looked up at the starry night sky, reminiscing over the time when he and his trainer made amends after what had happened back in Snowbelle City. The memory made him smile underneath his scarf-like tongue, turning his head to see the wing of his new comrade.

"Gre, neen ninja?" he asked him, causing him to perk up in surprise, standing up in order to face him.

"Roah, rah…" he answered, glancing towards the ground as he recalled the events where he learned how much bigger the world was, going through the training in the Charicific Valley in order to battle alongside his master in several different challenges afterwards.

"Gren," the Water/Dark type pointed out, standing up himself, "Gre… neen, ninja, nin," he told the dragon-like creature, much to his surprise, "Ja neen, ninja," he added while closing his right hand into a fist, "Ninja," he finished, holding his extremity out to him as a sign of truce between them. Charizard was surprised at first, having understood that his new teammate was just like him in the past, having to overcome the odds of not being strong enough. He smiled, taking his hand with his own to establish the agreement between them.

"Ragh," he said with a nod, enticing him to do the same.

"Charizard!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions as they looked over to see the raven haired boy rushing towards them, smiling happily as he came to a stop, "You feeling better from earlier?" he asked the Flame Pokémon.

"Rah!" he roared in reply, while his tail burned brightly. Greninja then noticed the Mega Ring upon Ash's left wrist, widening his eyes in surprise.

"Grenin?" he questioned, getting his master's attention.

"Oh, yeah," he realized, holding up his left hand, "This Key Stone was sent to me from Trevor back in Kalos, along with this," he explained as he pulled out the bracelet with the Charizardite upon it. Seeing the stone made the Fire/Flying feel a sense of familiarity.

"Roah?" he asked his owner, causing him to look over at him.

"Charizard, this is yours now," he told him as a response, showing him the bracelet as he lightly gasped, "With this, you can Mega Evolve and match up with Greninja!" he mentioned as the two creatures looked at each other with surprised expressions, "You know…" their trainer began, getting their attentions, "I still feel bad about leaving you and the others out of the Kalos League," he confessed to the dragon-like creature, "Even though I won, I wish that you could've been a part of it," he stated while his fists trembled slightly. He suddenly felt something tap his shoulder, being the Fire/Flying type's right hand as he looked at him.

"Rah," he reassured with a nod, causing him to smile.

"Here," he offered, taking the bracelet and placing it upon the end of his longtime comrade's tail, just before the flame.

"Ragh!" he roared excitedly, smirking towards the Ninja Pokémon, who also grinned.

"You two wanna battle again tomorrow?" the Omni Force member guessed, receiving nods in reply from the both of them, "Well, let's show everyone what you're both _really_ capable of!" he declared, making the two raise their right arms into the air in agreement.

 **X**

The next day, all of Ash's Pokémon, Professor Oak, and Tracey were gathered outside in the lab's yard, about to witness the rematch between Greninja and Charizard as their trainer was standing on the former's side.

"I'm eager to see just what kind of power Greninja possesses," the researcher noted as his arms were folded over his chest, "He's already shown himself to be as strong, if not more so against Charizard…" he added with a shrug.

"But now Charizard has the ability to Mega Evolve," his assistant chimed in, catching his attention, "so long as Ash bring out that power," he said as they looked on.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked excitedly.

"Charizard, you've got the first move again!" the Pokémon trainer called out, causing the Fire/Flying type to grin before he roared loudly into the air, flying upwards. He then spewed flames from his mouth, heading for his foe. "Water Shuriken!" the raven haired boy ordered. The Ninja Pokémon pulled out throwing stars of water from the markings on his legs, smacking them together before firing it at the oncoming fire, countering it in a burst of steam.

"Osha, wah wat!" Oshawott cheered, as the others watched on.

"Now use Cut!" the Omni Force member yelled. His current partner pulled out a glowing white needle with his right hand, charging straight into the veil and swinging it out. At the same moment, the Flame Pokémon raced down with his wings glowing a bright white, intercepting the attack while passing by his foe and landing on the ground. He immediately turned around, having his tail become enveloped in a green, scale-like pattern of aura, going up and then swinging it down towards him. "Double Team!" his owner called out. A flash of light emanated from the Water/Dark type's body before several clones of himself appeared around the area. His adversary struck the one he was aiming for, only to have it burst into nothing but thin air. He growled out of frustration, but recomposed himself, swinging his appendage to strike down the other duplicates in bursts of smoke.

"Pig, pig niitte!" Pignite oinked excitedly for his fellow Fire type, who flew up to see if he could spot the real frog-like creature within the smoke.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded. All of a sudden, his teammate reappeared behind the dragon-like creature, having his left foot glow a bright blue, about to strike him with it. However, he managed to take notice of him just in time, swinging his tail out to intercept it, blowing them both back before they both landed back on the ground, now on opposite sides.

"Gre, grenin!" Greninja croaked to his master, slamming his right fist against the guild mark upon his pectoral.

"Yeah, let's ramp it up!" he replied as he performed the same action. Suddenly, a torrent of water erupted underneath the Ninja Pokémon, enveloping him within as parts of his head and chest began to change in bursts of air. The liquid around him then broke apart, revealing him in his transformed state from yesterday, followed by the water moving to the center of his back, forming into a giant shuriken.

"RRROOOAAAAGGHH!" Charizard roared, ready to take on the challenge as he lifted up his tail, letting his Mega Stone gleam in the sunlight.

"Looks like we're about to see Charizard's hidden fangs…" Oak pointed out, grinning a little.

"Charizard, you ready?" the raven haired boy asked, crossing his left arm over his chest.

"Ragh!" he responded as he raised his right fist into the air. His trainer smiled, looking back down at the Key Stone upon his ring.

' _Trevor, thanks for this,_ ' he inwardly said in gratitude, ' _I'll make sure these stones are put to good use!_ ' he declared through thought, tapping the solid with his right index and middle fingers.

"Let's show everyone how strong we can be!" he stated loudly as yellow lights streaked out from his stone, "Charizard, Mega Evolve!" he bellowed, throwing his arm up into the air. The Charizardite upon the Flame Pokémon also let out yellow streaks of luminosity, connecting with those from his owner as they became a bright white, leading to him becoming covered by a multicolored aura as his body began to morph. He gained three pointed horns on the back of his head, the middle of which was longer. His short snout had larger fangs growing and a ridge becoming apparent on the nose. His torso and legs became longer, small wings developed on his wrists, and the ones on his back became larger and now had ragged edges. On top of that, the back of his tail gain a large thorn at the base and three smaller ones near the tip, which now burned with a longer flame. A burst of wind followed upon the completion of the transformation, revealing that the Fire/Flying type's coloration hadn't changed at all.

"RRRRROOOOAAAAHHHH!" he shouted up into the air as everyone braced themselves from the force of his new power.

"My word…" the researcher uttered, more surprised than he thought he would be, along with his assistant. The sun shined even more brightly in the sky, causing the shuriken upon Greninja's back to let off some steam, much to his surprise.

' _So Charizard has Drought now…_ ' Ash realized, looking up at the brightened sky as he remembered the same ability utilized in the Kalos League.

"How do you feel, Charizard?" he asked as the dragon-like creature looked himself over.

"Ragh!" he responded with a nod of reassurance, looking back at his opponent with a smirk.

"Get ready to go all out, Greninja!" the Omni Force member called out to the Water/Dark type, who unfolded his arms.

"Gren!" he croaked, prepared to take action.

"Cut!" his master yelled. Pulling out a blue, kunai-shaped blade from each of his legs, the Ninja Pokémon lunged forward at his foe, who had a green aura in a scale-like pattern shroud his tail, using it to counter the oncoming attack as sparks flew all over the area. They swung their appendages out at each other, managing to intercept their respective strikes every time. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon then had his wings glow in a metal-grey color, expanding before he dove in and hit his enemy with the left one, taking him up into the air and hurling him away. His owner grimaced in pain, grabbing at his torso upon seeing the attack.

"So _that's_ what happens when Greninja gets hit…" Tracey noted, blinking rapidly out of shock as Oak nodded.

"It proves they're working together as one," the lab owner pointed out, seeing the morphed Fire/Flying type go after his adversary with his wings still glowing, "While Ash and Charizard have withstood countless challenges together," he continued, "I believe he and Greninja faced even tougher ones…" he stated, much to his assistant's surprise.

"Greninja, Double Team!" the raven haired boy yelled to his partner. Clapping his hands together, the Water/Dark type flashed a bright white before several clones appeared around him in midair. His foe struck one of them, making it burst into smoke, much to his surprise as he looked around for the real one. "Aerial Ace!" his trainer commanded, catching his attention too late as he saw foe come over him, having his fists glow a bright blue before swinging them back behind his head and bringing them down onto his enemy's cranium, sending him spiraling towards the ground. He landed safely upon his feet however, shaking his head while seeing the frog-like creature come down himself. Letting out a roar, flames began billowing within his mouth, spewing out a torrent of them at his foe. Reacting quickly, he crossed his arms over his face in an attempt to endure the attack, only to be caught up in a fiery explosion.

"Pika…!" Pikachu uttered out of amazement as the others had their mouths gaping wide open. The smoke cleared to reveal the Ninja Pokémon unfolding his arms, sweating a little as the heat of the battle was getting to him.

"That was one heck of a Flamethrower," the Omni Force member noted, ignoring his pain as he rubbed his nose with a grin on his face. More flames began building within the mouth of the dragon-like creature, who reeled his head back before spewing out another torrent of them towards his adversary.

"Sep…" Sceptile said in shock, amazed by how powerful they looked.

"Intercept with Cut!" his master called out, enticing Greninja to pull out another set of blue, kunai-shaped blades from his legs, crossing them in front of his face just as the fire struck. He managed to block the attack for the moment, but suddenly found himself sliding back before being engulfed in another explosion.

"JA!" he exclaimed out of agony, stumbling back from the smoke that followed.

"Egh!" Ash grunted in pain, grasping at his right wrist, "Drought really does come in handy…" he pointed out with a forced grin.

"Neen, ja…" the Water/Dark type agreed, seeing the veil clear to reveal the morphed Fire/Flying type having his tail become enveloped by a green aura in a scale-like pattern, dashing towards him.

"Dodge it!" the Pokémon trainer cried out quickly, causing his current partner to immediately jump back before his opponent's tail slammed against the ground in a dust-filled explosion. He then raced out after him instantly as he sped along the grasslands, avoiding each attempted.

' _Wow,_ ' the Omni Force member inwardly uttered out of disbelief, ' _With just a Mega Evolution, Charizard's able to match up with Greninja,_ ' he noted to himself, seeing the frog-like creature narrowly avoid another attack, ' _He might be even stronger now…_ ' he added as his fists trembled slightly, ' _Both Charizard and Greninja have gone through a lot with me…_ ' he recalled, remembering the times that he had first caught the two in their pre-evolved states, ' _but I'm still sulking over what happened with Fairy Tail…_ ' he muttered angrily through thought, remembering his crush's confession and tears, while the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon had fire start to envelop his mouth, ' _I have to overcome all that fear that it's my fault!_ ' he declared inwardly, ' _If I wanna get stronger, I need to forget the past and look to the future with everyone!_ ' he stated to himself. Just then, the dragon-like creature shot a torrent of flames towards his foe.

"Block it with Water Shuriken!" his master yelled, enticing the Ninja Pokémon to grab the weapon off of his back, utilizing it as a shield while managing to stop the flames thanks to it. Once they dissipated, he reeled his right arm back, launching the armament rapidly towards his enemy, striking him with it in a steam-filled explosion.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu screamed to his comrades.

"Pig, pig nite!" Pignite chanted, while the others continued cheering loudly. The morphed Fire/Flying type emerged from the veil, having his wings glow in a metal-grey light before they expanded, allowing him to dive down towards his foe.

"Cut!" his owner shouted to his adversary, who formed another set of kunai-shaped blades in his hands, using them to intercept his enemy's wings before passing him by, landing on the ground behind him as another shuriken of water came into form upon his back.

"Ragh…" his opponent growled excitedly, turning around to face him as he noticed that the weapon he had had grown larger.

"Let's go!" Ash exclaimed, throwing his right hand up into the air, "Water Shuriken!" he commanded. Grasping the armament he had on his back, the Water/Dark type threw it up over his own extremity, letting it spin around rapidly, while it floating above his hand. Another torrent of water erupted underneath him, enveloping him in the center as an orange glow emanated from within. The vortex suddenly dissipated in a burst of wind, revealing that his shuriken had grown into one that spun so rapidly, making it look like a disc as it sparkled with orange energy. Everyone gasped in shock at the power the frog-like creature, including his adversary. However, he smirked while closing his hands into fists.

"RRRRAAAGGGHHH!" he roared, enveloping himself in a fiery blaze before slamming both extremities against the surface, making it surge up in an orange light as it broke apart.

"Neeen… JAAAHHHH!" Greninja screeched, launching his shuriken towards his foe. While his attack zoomed to the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon, the energy rushing under the earth glowed beneath him, suddenly exploding in a thick cloud of black smoke. In the meantime, the gigantic disc struck his opponent, clouding him in a veil of white smoke, much to the shock of everyone on the sidelines. The raven haired boy then fell over onto his rear end, breathing heavily in exhaustion. The clouds of white and black cleared to reveal both creatures lying upon the ground in their original forms, having swirls in their eyes as they groaned.

"A tie…" Oak uttered, quite stunned by the outcome.

"Ergh…" the Omni Force member grunted as he stood up, wiping the sweat away from his forehead before letting off a small chuckle.

"Gre…" the Water/Dark type croaked as he sat back up, noticing his former adversary doing the same, grinning towards him and nodding.

"Great battle, you two," their trainer chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him approach, along with the other Pokémon, and the researcher and his assistant, "You're both incredible when fighting down to the wire," he added, while they just smiled.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu agreed, jumping up onto his master's left shoulder.

"You know guys…" he began in a somewhat downcast tone, causing them to blink in surprise, "I've kinda been feeling a little out of it lately…" he admitted while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "I just keep thinking about the mistakes I've made without moving forward," he mentioned as they all listened in with stoic expression, "That's why… I wanna move forward with everyone!" he declared, clenching his right fist before placing it over the Fairy Tail guild mark on his jacket.

"Gren!" the Ninja Pokémon concurred, performing the same action.

"Rah!" Charizard agreed as he did the same. The others let out their own sounds of agreement, gathering around their master as he smiled happily.

 **X**

"Where is it? Where is it?!" Ash's voice repeated in question loudly from his home. He was scrambling about in his room without his hat on, while the Electric type watched from his bed, seeing his pictures strewn about over the desk, all except for one. "It's gotta be somewhere around here!" he exclaimed, going down onto his hands and knees, searching the ground in an aimless manner. Meanwhile, his mother showed up at the doorway, blinking in surprise to see her son in such a panicked state before pulling off a grin.

"Ash?" she uttered, catching his attention as he turned his head to see her there.

"Hey mom…" he greeted, standing up to face her, "Have you seen-?" He immediately stopped his question at the moment he saw holding the picture of him, Gingka, Erza, and Mirajane in a wooden frame.

"Is this what you were looking for?" she guessed, holding it out to him as his face turned red, "I figured you'd want a picture like this framed up since your friend's in it," she added as he took it into his hands.

"Th-Thanks, mom…" he stuttered out of gratitude and embarrassment, while Pikachu leapt onto his left shoulder.

"That girl who's hugging you…" Delia began, causing him to grimace in realization, "Is she the one you talked about the other night?" she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh… yeah…" the raven haired boy answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"She looks very pretty," she told him as he continued to blush, "and rather… developed…" she mentioned while scratching her right cheek, causing him to turn even redder as steam poured out from his ears.

"Pika…" the Mouse Pokémon sighed deeply.

"Well, thanks…" his trainer said to his parent, about to put the framed picture onto his desk.

"You should go see her," she suddenly recommended, making him perk up in surprise as he looked at her, "If you still feel guilty about whatever happened between you two," she started to say, "then maybe it's best to go and let her know how you feel," she suggested with a warm smile, "I bet she'll be happy to see you, too," she added as he blinked out of astonishment. However, he let off a grin just a second later.

"Yeah, I will," he declared with a confident nod. His partner performed the same action, glad to see that his master's resolve had returned.

 **X END STORY X**

"The end!" Leslie exclaimed, enticing the other girls to applaud her for the tale, "You know," she continued while placing her hands at her hips, "maybe that story isn't so bad after all…" she admitted, "I mean, my dad became twice as strong with Charizard and Greninja!" she noted, chuckling cheekily.

"It was a great story, Les," Raya told her, making Rachael nod in agreement. However, they didn't hear anything from Sky, looking over to see that she had fallen asleep on the carpeted floor.

"Looks like the story didn't suit her…" the white haired girl pointed out, slouching down in embarrassment.

"She's just tired," the requip user reassured with a giggle. Just then, the front door opened, catching their attentions as they saw both Gingka and Skyla walk in, noticing them immediately.

"How's it goin', girls?" the former of the two asked, trotting over to them.

"Good!" his daughter responded, "We had lunch and dinner, so no worries there," she added with a smile.

"Great," her father said, going over to the younger girl and picking her up gently, "Better get this little gal into bed…" he whispered with a chuckle, letting her head rest on his shoulder as he went upstairs with her. The Mistralton gym leader soon followed, smiling brightly at the teenage females before leaving.

"All those stories were so amazing…" the Tennyson girl noted as she glanced up at the ceiling, "I wonder if we can hear more from the others…" she muttered out of thought, causing her friends to grin at her in agreement.

 **END**

 **And Ash's resolve has returned, along with Charizard's! When thinking about this for the first time, I was excited to have fun with getting both Ash and Charizard back into the groove after going through their troubles. Then the Kalos League in the anime happened and well… I was kinda upset that Charizard was gonna be the focus here. Don't get me wrong, I love Charizard. He's a timeless character that never grows old to me in the Pokémon series. But I wish the anime toned down Alain's to the point where I WOULDN'T have to make a headcanon for Ash's victory in the Kalos League.**

 **On the upside, some angst with Ash X Mirajane! You'll be seeing quite a bit of that in "Pokémon: Volcanion & The Mechanical Marvel". All that said and done, thanks so much for reading! Next up is Sunset Shimmer's Mega Evolution story!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Having completed her badge quest, Sunset Shimmer is prepared to embark to Lumiose City for the upcoming Kalos League, despite being short one Pokémon for a full team. All of a sudden, Fluttershy arrives with a surprising proposition! She decides to gift her with Loppuny, who is frightened about leaving her original trainer for a new one! Can she and Sunset form a bond that could span onto the Kalos League?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **And with that, I bid you adieu!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **We'll make a new world that doesn't have to sacrifice this one!**_

 **Ash Ketchum**

 **To Lysandre during the Team Flare Arc**


	7. Sunset's Journey PART I

**Hey, everyone! Ready to see my favorite cartoon character with a Mega Evolution? Seeing as Sunset Shimmer has already been showcased with her Mega Lopunny in the story already, I think it's time that you all got some background on how they achieved the power they possess. Of course, they can't go using that power without an opponent worthy of battling.**

 **That's where Fluttershy comes in. You'll be getting to see both her and her special Infernape in this chapter, so please be sure to enjoy! With all that said, let's get this rolling!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

"Are you sure about this, Raya?" a somewhat anxious Rachael asked as she, her best friend, and Leslie were standing at the doors of a two-story household with metallic walls and glass windows. Last night, the three of them had agreed that they wanted to hear more stories about Mega Evolution from their friends and decided on visiting Rook Kyoto back in the half-rainbow haired girl's universe, dressed in their day clothes. However, the former of three girls was anxious about the journey, holding her right arm behind her back.

"If he's not here, that's okay," the Equestrian magic user reassured as they waited patiently, "We'll just go to my place until he gets back," she stated.

"Besides," the Pokémon trainer began, catching their attentions, "we can always get the story from her!" she noted cleverly.

"That is, if she's here…" the Tennyson girl corrected, also showing a sign of nervousness, "My mom says she and mister Blonko barely keep in touch since they… well…" she continued, reluctant to speak any further. Just then, the sliding doors to the edifice opened, causing her and the others to perk up and see Sting Eucliffe standing there, wearing a brown leather jacket over a white shirt with jeans.

"Oh, hey," he greeted, smiling at them, "Wasn't expecting company while housesitting…" he admitted with a chuckle, while the white haired girl suddenly hid behind the requip user out of fright, "You here to see Kyoto?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah," the scarlet haired female of the group replied with a stutter, "We wanted to ask him about something," she told him as he placed his hands at his hips.

"Well, it's your lucky day," he responded, "I've been hangin' out with Kyoto since he got back from his patrol in Undertown a few hours ago," he explained, heading back inside, "Come on in," he beckoned, gesturing for the girls to follow. The Ketchum girl just whimpered in fear, causing the one she was hiding behind to give off a confused expression.

"What's with you?" she asked her, quite perplexed.

"He's a white dragon slayer, duh!" she answered in a whisper, "I don't want him trying to snack on my hair…" she mentioned, looking at it in concern, while her two friends sighed deeply. The three of them later met up with their Revonnahgander pal, who led them into the family living room, which was quaint, but also quite decorative.

"Nice place," the Hagane girl commented, glancing around taking a sip of tea she had been given, along with the others.

"Thanks," the rookie officer responded in gratitude, having a bottle of water in his hand, "So… what brings you here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"We've been telling each other stories about our parents and Mega Evolution," Leslie replied as a grin came across her lips, sitting down on a couch next to Raya, " _My_ dad's story was definitely the best," she gloated, causing her female friends to glance at her skeptically, "What?" she asked innocently, confused by their stares.

"So anyways…" the Tennyson girl began, ignoring what just happened, "we wanted to know if you could tell us any stories about your parents' Mega Evolutions," she explained to her longtime extraterrestrial.

"Well… it's not easy for me to remember all that stuff…" he admitted, scratching at his right cheek, "but I know about the time my mom first got her Mega Evolution," he said to them.

"You mean Missus Regulus' Lopunny?" the white haired girl guessed, causing him to nod in response.

"I remember my mom saying that it wasn't easy for her to adjust to having a Mega Evolution right before the league…" he pointed out, prepared to tell the story as Sting walked in, grinning while prepared to hear the tale as well.

 **SUNSET'S JOURNEY PART I**

"Pyroar, Flame Charge!" Sunset Shimmer commanded, having her Fire/Normal type encase herself in a fiery blaze before rushing forward on the dirt battlefield, heading straight for the opposing Sylveon. The Intertwining Pokémon shot an orb of pink energy towards her, but she easily evaded it, letting it strike the ground behind her in a dust-filled explosion as she rammed into her foe with all of her might. In a few moments, the Fairy type was blown back, being sent tumbling across the earth before coming to a halt, having swirls in her eyes. Her adversary jumped back over to her trainer, who grinned upon seeing the fainted creature.

"Sylveon is unable to battle!" the furisode girl referee stated upon viewing the result, raising her left arm into the air, "Pyroar wins!" she added, gesturing over to the Omni Force member, "Therefore, the victory goes to the challenger, Sunset!" she declared as the red and yellow haired girl grinned, placing her hands at her hips. Meanwhile, the opposing being she had gone up against was returned to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light, originating from the Laverre City gym leader, Valerie.

"You were excellent, Sylveon," she said to the spherical containment with a small smile, "Take a good rest," she advised, placing it into the left sleeve of her dress before walking over to her former foe. A few moments later, she was standing in front of her, holding a hexagonal-shaped plate with a half oval-shaped badge of pink and gold upon it. "Congratulations, Miss Sunset," she complimented as she allowed her to take the medal from the plate, "If I'm not mistaken, that is your eighth badge, correct?" she inquired to her.

"Yep!" she responded with a nod, while the Royal Pokémon beside her smiled.

"Then that means you can challenge the Kalos League next," the long, dark haired woman pointed out, bowing gracefully to her, "I wish you the best of luck," she promised, making her smile. A while passed after the gym battle, and the former pony was sitting upon a bench inside the Pokémon Center, grooming her Fire/Normal type's long mane with a brush as she was lying on the floor, having a content expression on her face.

"Rrrr…" she purred delightedly before her trainer finally finished, setting the brush aside before pulling out her black case of medallions from her bag, popping the plastic cover open to view them more clearly.

"All eight…" she counted with a grin, taking a moment to take out all of the Poké Balls at her belt, enlarging them before letting them all pop open. The light that poured out from them formed beside her Pyroar, dissipating to reveal the rest of her team: Empoleon, Staraptor, Hippowdon, and Trevenant. They all voiced their sounds of greeting upon coming out, looking to see the number of badges in their master's case, smiling excitedly.

"Pohl, poleon?" the Emperor Pokémon questioned out of curiosity, causing her to nod in reply.

"Next stop's the Kalos League," she told her team, closing the case before putting it away, "We'll have to work hard if we wanna keep up with everyone else," she mentioned as she stood up, while her teammates all gave off serious expressions, "Plus," she continued, "we'll need another Pokémon to compete in the full battles there…" she noted, folding her arms over her chest while narrowing her eyes in thought.

' _Even when I do get a sixth Pokémon,_ ' she started to think, ' _I still have to worry about the Mega Evolutions from trainers like Rainbow…_ ' she inwardly said, taking a deep breath of air.

"Sunset?" a familiar voice chimed in, snapping her away from her thoughts as she and the others turned and widened their eyes in surprise to see Fluttershy standing there, grinning brightly at them with a tilt of her head. A while later, the two of them were outside enjoying glasses of iced tea together, as the red and yellow haired girl had returned her creatures to their respective containments.

"I saw that you made it pretty far in the Master Class Showcase," she told her friend, taking a sip of her drink, "Congrats!" she complimented, making her smile.

"Thanks," she responded while looking up towards the sunny sky, "You know," she began to say, causing her classmate to perk up with a blink of her eyes in surprise, "I wasn't sure I'd even make it as far as the semi-finals…" she admitted with a little giggle, turning back to face the one beside her, "It was still really fun though!" she stated as she smiled gleefully.

"Sure seemed like it," the Omni Force member agreed, remembering the beauty and power her performance showed, including a peculiar scene she remembered from it, "I was wondering…" she continued, catching her attention as she looked over at her, "what happened with your Infernape during all that?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, recalling when the Flame Pokémon had transformed in a fiery, pink blaze, gaining a gold, butterfly-like marking upon her chest and pink flames expelling from her head and the backs of her hands. The animal whisperer just smiled, taking another sip of her beverage.

"I'm… not exactly sure," she replied after a moment, "When I ran into Ash and the others a while back," she kept going, "they were trying to figure out what made his Greninja's transformation work," she explained, much to Sunset's surprise as her eyes widened.

"Ash's Greninja has the _same_ kind of transformation?!" she questioned out of shock, receiving a nod in response from her friend.

"I think they're still working on mastering it though…" she mentioned, twiddling her thumbs in boredom, "Kinda funny how Olympia's prediction came true, huh?" she inquired to the red and yellow haired girl, who nodded before going back into thought, remembering when she and the others visited the Anistar Gym to hear the prophecy from the clairvoyant leader. "Anyways…" the young performer continued, catching her attention as she was snapped away from her thoughts again, "congrats on getting your eight badges," she complimented, making her blink in realization, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Thanks," she replied out of gratitude as a blush came across her cheeks, "Although… I'm still short a Pokémon for the league…" she admitted, sheepishly scratching her right cheek.

"Oh, you are?" Fluttershy guessed in response, reaching into her backpack at the side of the bench, much to Sunset's surprise, "Well, I've got just the thing for you," she told her, rummaging through the bag as her friend stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, "I was just saying that I'm gonna need to catch one more Pokémon before the league begins…" she noted while glancing up towards the sky.

"I know that," her normally shy pal replied, taking out a Poké Ball and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "but I think this'll make it easier for you," she stated as she opened the container, letting the light from it pour out onto the ground. It came into form moments later, dissipating to reveal her Lopunny.

"Lah?" she uttered in confusion, blinking as she saw her owner alongside the Omni Force member.

"Lopunny," the former of the two she saw began, "you remember Sunset, don't you?" she inquired, gesturing towards the red and yellow haired girl, who was very perplexed at the moment. Meanwhile, the Rabbit Pokémon started to cry a little, whimpering as her lips quivered.

"LLAAAAHHHH!" she bawled, running up to her trainer with tear-filled eyes, sobbing into her left shoulder after embracing her.

"There, there…" she repeated reassuringly, hugging her back in a comforting manner, while the former pony looked on with a stunned and confused expression.

"What's… going on?" she asked worriedly, standing up from her seat and catching their attentions as they turned to face her, with the Normal type having wiped her eyes free of tears.

"Sunset," Fluttershy started to say, "I want you to have Lopunny," she told her with a nod, smiling all the while. It took a few moments for the Omni Force member to process what she had just heard, blinking rapidly.

"What?!" she suddenly exclaimed with a surprised face.

"LLAAAHHH!" the rabbit-like creature cried again, sobbing into her trainer's shoulder as she attempted to comfort her.

"Fluttershy… why do you wanna give me _your_ Lopunny?" her classmate asked in order to get her attention, "Aren't you still going to be needing her for performances?" she questioned on, becoming all the more concerned.

"I'm not doing performances anymore," she answered, much to her surprise, "Ever since I discovered my power with Infernape," she kept going, glancing off to the side in a somewhat ashamed manner, "I wanted to get a better sense of what this world of Pokémon is like," she explained while looking up at the blue sky, "But…" she continued, "I don't want the rest of my team to end up doing nothing except travel with me," she stated, astonishing her friend a little, "That's why I decided to let my Pokémon go with the others," she finished to her.

"Others?" she uttered in confusion.

"Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie," the animal whisperer replied, "I let them take my other Pokémon on their journeys," she mentioned, causing her to gasp out of shock.

"Fluttershy… that's-" Her sentence was cut off as she was handed the Rabbit Pokémon's Poké Ball from the pink haired girl, taking it into her two extremities.

"Lopunny really loves battling and performing," she noted to her with a small smile, "I'm sure a trainer like you can make friends with her in no time!" she added confidently, making the other two stare at one another worriedly for a few moments. A minute later, she draped the straps of her backpack over her shoulders, heading off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sunset asked her, making her stop for a moment.

"Lumiose City," she responded with a wave to her, "That's where the Kalos League is gonna be," she mentioned, causing her to blink in surprise, "I'll see you two there!" she promised, racing off into the distance. The former pony sighed deeply, taking a moment to look over at her new teammate, who still had tears in her eyes.

"Lah…" she sniffed, turning away ashamedly.

' _Fluttershy…_ ' the red and yellow haired girl began to herself, ' _why are you doing this?_ ' she asked through thought.

 **X**

"Hm…" Sunset hummed to herself as she was out in a clearing on the outskirts of the town, sitting upon a log and tapping the end of a pen against her chin, trying to write in her journal. However, she was struggling to think of what to prescribe on the pages, looking all the more frustrated by each passing second. "Ugh!" she groaned in frustration, slamming the book shut and shoving it into her bag, "Huh…" she sighed, placing both of her hands against her cheeks.

' _Forget asking Twilight how to deal with this…_ ' she muttered inwardly, ' _I doubt she'd even know how to deal with Fluttershy of all people giving up a friend!_ ' she exclaimed in her head, gnashing her teeth together in frustration. She then reached into her knapsack and pulled out the Rabbit Pokémon's Poké Ball. ' _Well… I guess they're technically still friends, even if she's with me…_ ' she noted to herself, ' _but…_ ' she continued through thought, attempting to deduce a reason as to why things had unfolded the way they did.

"I guess there's really no point in worrying over it…" she admitted, taking the containment and opening it, letting the light pour out onto the ground. It came into form and dissipated, revealing Lopunny as she blinked in surprise, turning around to see her new owner standing there.

"Lah?" she questioned, looking around for her former trainer.

"Uh, sorry…" the Omni Force member apologized, catching her attention, "Fluttershy's already gone…" she said, making her widen her eyes in surprise. Her eyes then began to fill up with tears, causing her master to cringe in realization.

"LLAAAAHHHH!" she bawled, going down onto her knees, while teardrops fell down to the ground.

' _Nice going, Sunset…_ ' she said to herself sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest, ' _I've got no idea on how to handle this…_ ' she inwardly stated, narrowing her eyes as she tried to think of a solution, ' _Maybe the rest of the gang might be able to help!_ ' she suddenly realized, grinning while reaching down to her belt, pulling off her five other spherical containers, opening them to release the lights from them. They all came into form upon the earth, catching the attention of the Normal type as she looked to see them dissipate to reveal her new teammates, who all voiced sounds of greeting.

"Everyone," their owner began to say, making them turn to face her, "we've got a new friend with us!" she told them, gesturing over to the Rabbit Pokémon behind them, enticing them to all look over at her, gasping upon recognizing who she was.

"L-L-Lah…" she stuttered nervously, backing up a step.

"Poh, pol eon?" Empoleon asked as the red and yellow haired girl trotted over to them.

"Yeah, she's Fluttershy's," she answered, correctly guessing his question as he and the others gasped in surprise, "But don't worry," she reassured while going over to the bunny-like creature, placing her right hand onto her left shoulder, "We're gonna make you feel right at home," she promised, smiling towards her with the rest of her team. Rather than feel excited however, Lopunny started tearing up again, suddenly hopping back to the shock of the group.

"Lah, lah puh!" she screamed angrily through her sobs, running off towards the forest.

"H-Hey, Lopunny!" Sunset stammered in fright, going after her immediately, "Guys, help me out!" she beckoned to her team members, who all nodded in response.

"Star!" Staraptor chirped, flying up into the sky before soaring towards the wooded area, while the others went in on foot. Pyroar led the way, charging ahead and letting out roars to try and provoke the fleeing teammate of theirs. However, she paid no heed to her cries or anyone else's, continuing to tear up as she was recalling her time with the animal whisperer, remembering how she was able to deal with her stubbornness until she evolved and became her go-to partner when it came to performing. She was evidently frustrated with being given away, running even further into the woods.

"Roah!" a voice suddenly roared, making her perk up as all of a sudden, the Royal Pokémon appeared before her, getting into a ready stance, "Py, py rah!" she shouted towards her new comrade.

"Lah puh!" she responded as an argument, gnashing her teeth together, "Puh, pun…" she added, glancing down at the earth beneath her with a somber look on her face, "Punee!" she exclaimed, sticking out both of her hands before forming an orb of yellow energy upon them. Meanwhile, the former pony and the other Pokémon arrived just in time to see her fire the sphere at the Fire/Normal type, striking her in an explosion of smoke, much to their shock. When the veil dissipated, it revealed the lion-like creature lying down upon her right side and groaning in pain. The Normal type that attacked her then hopped away, leaving the group pursing her to look on in astonishment at what she had done.

"Focus Blast…" the Omni Force member uttered out of surprise, shaking her head to recompose herself before running over to her fallen team member, "Pyroar!" she cried out, catching her attention as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing her master alongside Empoleon, Trevenant, and Hippowdon, "Are you all right?" the former of the group asked her, while she finally stood up with a pained expression on her face.

"Rrrr…" she growled angrily, clenching her teeth together.

"Hey, hey…" her trainer repeated in plea, placing her left hand onto the left side of her face and caressing it gently as she knelt, "Let's not get upset about this," she stated seriously, standing up and removing her extremity.

"Py…" the Royal Pokémon reluctantly concurred, glancing around the area.

"We should let Staraptor find her first," Sunset added while placing her hands upon her hips, waiting patiently with the others for the Predator Pokémon to return. He was gliding just above the trees, looking around to see if he could find his new friend. Suddenly, he spotted her sitting upon the large branches of a sapling, leaning against it and sobbing still. Rather than try to approach her himself, the Normal/Flying type dashed off, now searching for his master to inform her of her location.

"Puh…" Lopunny uttered sadly as teardrops fell onto the bark she sat upon. She started to remember how her other teammates: Ursaring, Vivillon, and Minun had all been given away to Fluttershy's close friends. Now that she was being given away, she was quite heartbroken, recalling the moment she received the news.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _L-Lah?!" the Rabbit Pokémon exclaimed in shock to her trainer as they were camping in the middle of a forest._

" _I know it's going to be hard for you," the shy girl admitted while packing her things, "but I think it'll be best if you do something more than just travel with me," she explained with a small grin, "The Showcases are over, Lopunny," she mentioned, looking over to see her trembling eyes, "I'm sure you'll really love doing battling with someone who does better than me!" she added, letting off a big smile, much to her surprise as her eyes were still widened._

 **END FLASHBACK**

"Puh…" the Normal type whimpered, wiping her eyes before standing up.

"Lopunny!" a familiar voice cried out, catching her attention as she recognized that it was the Omni Force member, causing her to develop a serious expression before hopping down in a huff, racing off deeper into the forest. As the bird-like creature approached the branch where he had initially found her, he was surprised to find that she had left.

"Find her?" his trainer asked as he floated back down.

"Star…" he chirped sadly in response, shaking his head.

"Oh no," Sunset muttered worriedly, glancing down at the ground ashamedly, "If Fluttershy found out about this…" she continued while closing her hands into fists. Suddenly, she felt something come onto her right shoulder, causing her to turn and see that it was the Emperor Pokémon's left flipper.

"Em," he said in a reassuring manner, nodding to her and making her smile.

"Thanks, Empoleon," she replied out of gratitude, "Let's split up from here," she advised to the group, "Meet up when someone sends out a signal," she added, causing them to all nod in agreement, rushing off in different directions through the woods, while she did the same. The sun had begun to set as the sky became a bright orange, as the Rabbit Pokémon had arrived at a clearing filled with several large boulders.

"Lah…" she inhaled, trying to forget her sorrows as she readied her extremities, encasing them in an icy blue aura before dashing at out and striking the large rocks, shattering them into pieces in a misty explosion. She then leapt upwards, having both of her legs glow a bright white before using them to bash more solids. Meanwhile, several pairs of red eyes watched her from afar, followed by angry growls. "Puh, pun…" she breathed heavily while staring ahead at the last rock, preparing a yellow orb of energy upon her hands. She fired it, letting it strike the boulder and shatter it in a large explosion of dust. All of a sudden, the image of a curved shape in colors of black and brown surrounded by a cream color flashed through her mind, making her gasp in surprise. She then looked at the dissipating dust cloud to see a stone with the same tan-like color and curved shape within it upon the ground. Trotting up to it, she squatted down and picked it up, staring at it in wonder as she felt as if it resonated with her somehow.

"Rrrr…" voices suddenly growled, causing her to immediately perk and glance around to see packs of Houndour and Poochyena surrounding her.

"Rrah!" one of the dog-like creatures shouted, noticing the decimated area she had created.

"L-Lah!" the Normal type stuttered upon realizing, "Lah, puh punee…" she apologized, bowing to them. However, they still growled angrily, with the Bite Pokémon moving closer to her before one of them pounced out to attack. She quickly evaded him, hopping off in a hurry into the forest, while they began pursuing her.

 **X**

"Lopunny!" Sunset called out as stars were appearing in the sky, desperately searching for the bunny-like creature, "Ugh…" she groaned in frustration, stopping in the middle of the path she was upon.

' _I'm never gonna be able to find her like this…_ ' she thought with a heavy sigh, ' _Wait a sec…_ ' she started to realize, widening her eyes. She then closed both of her hands into fists, suddenly having her skin become a light amber, while her hair grew out a long ponytail, and a pair of pony ears appeared on her head. She then focused for a moment, suddenly hearing the sound of rustling bushes thanks to her newly formed ears, heading off in the direction it emanated from. Meanwhile, the Rabbit Pokémon was hurriedly jumping through the forest, quickly glancing back to see the packs of hound-like creatures chasing after her for attacking their territory. She grimaced upon spotting them, continuing forward as fast as she could. Suddenly though, she screeched to halt as she reached a dead end in the form of the face of a cliff.

"Rrraaahh…" her enemies growled as she turned around to see them surrounding her from all sides, inching nearer until she found herself up against the wall. She knew that she'd have to fight in order to defend herself, but didn't want anything to happen to the mysterious stone she was holding. One of the Houndour lunged out at her, having his teeth glow a bright white as he was about to bite her. With no time to dodge, the Normal type shut her eyes and turned away, keeping the stone close to her chest.

"Agh!" a feminine voice yelped in pain, causing her to immediately perk upon recognizing it, looking to see Sunset standing there and being bitten on the left arm by the Dark Pokémon, "Get… off!" she exclaimed, swinging her arm in order to throw him away.

"L-Lah, puh…" Lopunny stammered in shock, seeing that the red and yellow haired girl was starting to bleed from her appendage.

"Lopunny, are you all right?" she asked her in concern, much to her surprise as she blinked.

"RRRAAAHHH!" the two packs of Pokémon roared angrily as they turned to face them, seeing that they were about to attack again.

"I got this," the Equestrian magic user stated, gesturing for the bunny-like creature to stay back, while she stepped forward, suddenly radiating a golden glow from her body. Her eyes then lit up in a bright white luminosity as she floated upwards, much to the astonishment of those around her. Her hair became divided into red yellow and orange streaks, sun-shaped markings developed around her eyes and upon her knuckles, and a pair of large, red and yellow glowing energy wings had sprouted from her back.

"Em?" Empoleon uttered in confusion, noticing the light in the distance. All of her other team members did as well, hurriedly rushing towards the source. Meanwhile, the Canterlot High student still levitated before the hound-like creatures, making them back up a few steps out of nervousness. They still had their teeth gnashed together however, prepared to attack.

"Leave my friend alone," their foe finally stated, much to the Rabbit Pokémon's shock as her eyes, "or else…" she added, raising both of her hands into the air before forming a sphere of energy upon them.

"Err!" one of the Poochyena yelped, immediately fleeing the scene as she was about to attack them. The others followed suit, disappearing into the forest out of fright. The shimmering girl just smirked as her energy sphere dissipated into thin air, transforming herself back to normal as her long hair, pony ears, amber skin, and glowing energy wings all vanished, allowing her to fall back to the ground on her feet.

"Phew…" she breathed, turning to face her new partner with a smile, "No need to worry now," she promised to her. She was still quite stunned by what had happened, but then smiled herself, nodding in agreement.

"Star!" a familiar voice chirped, catching their attentions as they saw Staraptor gliding overhead, circling around them from above. They then noticed the others running towards them; all with expressions of relief on their faces as they gathered around their owner.

"Tre, treva?" Trevenant asked out of concern, having seen his master's slightly ripped jacket.

"No, I'm okay," she reassured in response, rubbing her arm as the pain from the bite she had taken still stung somewhat, "More importantly," she continued, turning around to face Lopunny, "how are you?" she questioned to her. Before she received an answer though, she saw the stone she was holding in her arms. "Is… that…?" she began to ask, somewhat stunned upon viewing it.

"Puh… punee…" the Rabbit Pokémon replied unsurely, keeping it close to herself.

"Why don't we all head back to the Pokémon Center?" Sunset suggested after a moment, receiving nods in agreement from her team members, including the Normal type as she was finally ready to go with her new trainer, heading off with them.

 **X**

The dawn came early next morning as the sun shined over Laverre City. Inside the resting place designed for people and Pokémon alike, the red and yellow haired girl was sleeping upon a bench with her group of creatures, leaning up against Hippowdon while snoozing soundly. Bandages were wrapped around her arm in the area she had been bitten, as her jacket had been taken off, lying upon the floor.

"Ugh…" she groaned groggily as her eyes fluttered open, allowing her to see everyone with her. She smiled brightly, glad to have such a loyal and caring team alongside her.

"Excuse me, miss?" a familiar voice chimed in, catching her attention while looking to see Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff beside her, "Good morning," she greeted warmly with a tilt of her head.

"Oh, hi," the Canterlot High student responded, letting out a yawn while rubbing her eyes, "How… come I'm out here?" she asked in confusion.

"Your Pokémon brought you all tuckered out last night," the doctor answered, causing her to blink out of surprise, "Rather than get you to a room," she continued as the creatures around all began to awaken themselves, "they decided to stay here and keep you company for the night," she told her as she noticed the blanket that had been placed over her legs.

"Lah…" the Normal type among them yawned as she stood up, rubbing her eyes out of fatigue. She blinked for a few moments before realizing that the stone she had retrieved was no longer in her arms, causing her to gasp. "L-Lah?!" she exclaimed, frantically searching around for it.

"Pow?" the Heavyweight Pokémon questioned out of confusion, while the others watched on curiously at Lopunny's frantic behavior. Sunset then noticed that the object she once had was gone as well, turning to face the head of the center.

"Hey, didn't my Lopunny have… some kinda stone with her when we came back last night?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck in fatigue.

"Oh, that's right!" the pink haired woman responded, quickly heading over to the counter with her partner, perplexing the Omni Force member as she saw her grab something from behind it, being a case with a clear, plastic covering, "These are for both you and Lopunny," she told her, opening the containment to reveal a pair of silver necklaces, much to their shock as they noticed the solids that were embedded into them. They both had curved shapes, with one having a multicolored look to it, while the other seemed to be the stone that the bunny-like creature had found yesterday.

"Nurse Joy…" the Equestrian magic user uttered in shock, taking both sets of jewelry into her hands, "why are you giving these to us?" she asked, still stunned.

"That stone your Lopunny found was actually a Lopunnite," she responded, referring to the cream-colored solid in one of the necklaces, "Legends say when a Lopunny and his or her trainer have a strong connection, along with the Mega Stone and Key Stone," she continued to explain, "they have the ability to Mega Evolve," she finished, causing the two to stare at each other in disbelief, while the rest of the group was just as stunned. A few minutes later, everyone but the Rabbit Pokémon had been returned to their Poké Ball, as both she and her trainer were looking at the stones in their respective necklaces.

"Huh…" Sunset sighed, wiping the sweat away from her forehead with her right hand, "It's just one problem after another nowadays…" she muttered while wondering what she was to do about having the items in her possession. Her new team member glanced over at her worriedly before looking back at her silver piece of jewelry. The stone that she had mysteriously found herself resonating with shined from the sunlight, making her develop a serious expression upon her face.

"Lah," she said, standing up and catching the attention of her master.

"Lopunny?" she questioned as the Normal type slipped the necklace over her head, having the pendant with the Mega Stone just before her chest. She then trotted up to her, grasping the jewelry and holding it out towards her new owner's Key Stone.

"Lah, la puh!" she declared with a nod, much to the former pony's surprise. However, she grinned moments later, standing up herself and getting her own necklace on.

"I get it, Lopunny," she responded in understanding, touching her piece of jewelry against hers, "This time, we'll make sure you and I can fight as Pokémon and trainer," she stated, receiving a simple nod in reply. Just then, they heard the sliding doors open, enticing them to turn and widen their eyes in surprise to see Fluttershy standing there.

"Sunset?" she uttered out of shock, blinking in confusion, "What are you still doing here?" she asked as she walked up to them, "I thought you'd already be on your way to Lumiose City…" she mentioned, arching an eyebrow. Both the red and yellow haired girl and the Rabbit Pokémon stared at each other for a moment before chuckling nervously.

"We… kinda got sidetracked…" the former admitted as a reply, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head with her right hand.

"La…" the bunny-like creature concurred with a nod. The animal whisperer just arched an eyebrow, perplexed by what they meant, but then spotted the matching pendants they had, gasping lightly.

"Are those-?!"

"Yep," the Omni Force member interjected before she could finish, "We found the Mega Stone last night when we were… training…" she claimed with an anxious grin, which her friend took notice of.

"Sunset," she began in an understanding tone, much to her surprise, "if something went wrong between you two, you can tell me," she told her reassuringly, causing the two to look at each other again and chuckle, "And by the way," she continued, making them perk up and face her, "would you like to have a battle?" she asked as their eyes widened.

 **X**

"Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?" the former pony asked worriedly as the two of them, along with the Normal type, were out in a clearing beyond the city, standing about a few dozen yards away from each other, "I mean, you're not much of a battler…" she noted with a scratch of her right cheek while having her jacket back over her form, "and I haven't gotten to really know Lopunny yet…" she added nervously as the two stared at each other.

"It's fine," the pink haired girl replied as she nodded, pulling out a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "Besides," she kept going, reeling her arm back, "I wanna see if you and Lopunny can actually make her Mega Evolution happen!" she stated while throwing the spherical container up into the air, making it open as blue and white light poured out from it. The luminosity went out onto the ground, coming into form before dissipating to reveal her Infernape.

"Fur, fur nay!" she chanted excitedly, punching the air around her.

"I don't know if I can make her Mega Evolve right away like that…" the Canterlot High student on the opposing side confessed with a little chuckle.

"Lah, la puh!" the Rabbit Pokémon suddenly yelled, causing her to perk up and see her new partner with a confident expression upon her face, much to her surprise before she ended up doing the same.

' _Right,_ ' she realized, taking a deep breath of air, ' _I won't let anything keep me from doing my best as a trainer!_ ' she inwardly declared.

"Whenever you're ready, Fluttershy!" she called out, closing her hands into fists.

"Right!" her normally quiet friend replied, "Infernape, go!" she yelled to her teammate, who dashed forward immediately.

"Lopunny!" the Omni Force member exclaimed, enticing the Normal type to run as well, excitedly heading for her foe, "Use Ice Punch!" she commanded, pumping her right fist. Encasing her own extremity in an icy blue aura, the bunny-like creature reeled her arm back before throwing it out at her enemy.

"Counter with Mach Punch!" the animal whisperer cried out. Closing her right hand into a fist before having it glow a bright white, the Flame Pokémon swung her arm out, intercepting her adversary's extremity with her own as sparks flew across the area. After a long moment of deadlock, the Fire/Fighting type was able to blow the bunny-like creature back, making her slide across the ground. "Now, Acrobatics!" the former's master ordered.

"Fur!" she responded, jumping up into the air as her body glowed a light blue, zipping down through the air.

"High Jump Kick!" the red and yellow haired girl yelled. Having her left leg shine a bright white, her team member lunged forward, countering her opponent's attack by slamming her appendage against her head, creating another stalemate between them before they both jumped back down.

"Wow…" the shy girl uttered out of amazement, impressed with her former Pokémon's ability to work with her trainer. Even the one giving her commands was stunned that she was easily obeying everything she said.

' _Was this what Fluttershy meant yesterday?_ ' she asked herself, starting to grin a bit more out of excitement.

"Lopunny, Focus Blast!" she demanded with clenched fists. Forming a yellow orb of energy upon her hands, the Normal type launched at her foe rapidly.

"Dodge it!" the pink haired girl shouted immediately, enticing her partner to immediately lunge to the side, avoiding the sphere as it struck the ground in a dust-filled explosion, "Now use Flare Blitz!" she commanded, throwing her right arm out. Cloaking herself in a light red aura with orange streaks of fire, the monkey-like creature dashed out and slammed into her foe, creating a huge explosion of smoke that she emerged from moments later, with red sparks of electricity emanating from her body. Meanwhile, the Rabbit Pokémon had gone down to a knee once the veil dissipated, grimacing out of agony.

"Lopunny…" her trainer uttered, concerned for her safety since she was at a type disadvantage. However, she suddenly stood back up, taking a great leap up into the air. She span around, letting a flash of yellow light shine beneath her feet, aiming them towards Infernape. Shrouding herself in an orb of purple energy with yellow streaks of luminosity swirling around it, she dove down and struck her enemy right in the chest, making her cringe in agony before being blown away, tumbling across the dirt.

"Naayyy…" she grunted within the cloud of dust, slowly standing back up.

"Whoa…" her owner said out of astonishment, starting to smile a little. Sunset's eyes trembled at what just conspired, seeing her new team member jump back over, landing before her.

"L-Lopunny…" she stammered in disbelief, unable to comprehend anything as the bunny-like creature looked back at her, "Th-That was…"

"Lah, la pun!" she interjected with a shout, grasping the pendant upon her necklace and nodding to the Omni Force member, who widened her eyes in realization, cracking a smile.

' _Right,_ ' she inwardly realized, reaching her right hand over and grasping her jacket, ' _I won't doubt myself or my Pokémon when they're counting on me!_ ' she declared to herself, tossing her leather article of clothing up into the air, letting it plop down behind her. She then took hold of her pendant and touched the Key Stone, causing a multitude of yellow lights to streak out from it in a quick flash.

"Let's go, Lopunny!" she called out, "Mega Evolve!" she yelled with confidence in her tone.

"Lah!" the Normal type responded as cream-colored lights streamed out from her Mega Stone, connecting with those from her master's before they shined a bright white. All of a sudden, her body glowed in a multicolored luminosity, followed by parts of her form beginning to change. The tufts of fur above her eyes combined to form a single butterfly-shaped crest, and the cream fur on its wrists and ankles became more round instead of fluff. However, the rest of its lower leg fur was seemingly disappearing, while her ear fur now began to only cover two segments of each ear in fluffy bands. When the luminosity around her vanished, it revealed that the fur on her neck, upper torso, fingers, and legs blackened, forming a pattern on the legs that resembled ripped pantyhose. "Lah, la!" she exclaimed, punching and kicking the air around her excitedly.

"Wow," Sunset uttered with a bright smile, but then developed a serious expression, closing her hands into fists, "Lopunny, Focus Blast!" she commanded. Forming a new ball of yellow energy upon her extremities, the morphed Normal/Fighting type span around and threw it, sending it hurdling towards her foe.

"Quick, block it!" Fluttershy yelled to her partner, who crossed her arms over her face, taking the attack head on as it struck, exploding on contact. She slid back quite a ways, dropping herself down to a knee out of agony.

"Furrr…" she grunted, smirking a little before standing back up.

"That's some power…" her trainer admitted as sweat rolled down from her head, "Acrobatics!" she cried out, swinging her right arm out. Hopping up, the Flame Pokémon had a blue light emanate from body as she zipped at her foe.

"Counter with Ice Punch!" the Omni Force member shouted. Encasing both of her fists in an icy blue aura, the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon reeled them back, throwing them out to intercept her adversary just in time, creating a misty explosion upon impact, blowing the Fire/Fighting type back as she tumbled across the dirt again, much to her master's surprise.

"Infernape, are you okay?!" she asked, noticing that she was much slower to stand back up on her feet.

"En…" she growled in frustration, breathing heavily.

"Now, Focus Blast!" Sunset ordered, throwing her arms out to their respective sides. Forming another energy sphere colored in yellow, the morphed Normal/Fighting type flung it towards her opponent, who grimaced nervously.

"Mach Punch!" the shy girl yelled, enticing her partner to have her right fist glow a bright white, punching the orb of energy before it could reach her, creating a large explosion before tumbling back, falling to her left knee in agony.

"En, furrr…" she grunted, placing her right hand upon her while standing back up, evidently fatigued as she was slow to do so, "Nayype!" she suddenly exclaimed as the fire upon her head flared up wildly.

"I guess it's time," her owner guessed, closing her right hand into a fist, "Sunset!" she called out, catching the former pony's attention, "Are you ready to see our full power?" she inquired while getting into a ready stance, similar to the one her team member was in. The red and yellow haired girl was a bit surprised at first, but then smiled, ready to witness the strength the two had gained together. The two each let out a scream together before a sudden burst of pink flames enveloped the monkey-like creature, making her body begin to morph slightly. She gained a gold marking in the shape of a butterfly over her upper body, and her white fur became oriented in a way that made it seem like her trainer's tank top. As the fire dispersed, it revealed that pink flares were coming out from the backs of her hands, and the flame upon her head now glowed a bright pink.

"NAAAAYYYY!" she screeched into the air as a burst of wind followed her transformation.

"Whoa…" the Canterlot High student on the opposing side uttered out of surprise, starting to crack a wider grin, "All right, Ice Punch!" she commanded quickly. The Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon had her right fist become cloaked by a misty blue aura yet again, lunging towards her foe in an instant.

"Mach Punch!" Fluttershy yelled as a response, enticing her teammate to rocket forward with her glowing white fist, countering her opponent's in a huge burst of wind. They jumped back to their respective masters, staring each other down with excited grins on their faces.

"High Jump Kick!" the former pony shouted to her partner, who hopped up and somersaulted before diving down at Infernape like an arrow as her legs glowed a bright white.

"Use Flare Blitz!" the animal whisperer cried out. The transformed Fire/Fighting type then engulfed herself in pink flames, springing forward and intercepting her foe, creating a massive explosion that engulfed the both of them in midair. Her trainer grimaced slightly, grasping at her left shoulder after the impact, which Sunset noticed with widened eyes. However, she disregarded it for the moment, redeveloping a serious expression.

"Now, Focus Blast!" she commanded. The morphed Normal/Fighting type formed a yellow orb of energy upon her hands, reeling her right arm back before launching it at her enemy.

"Counter with Mach Punch!" the shy girl on the opposing side yelled. Cloaking her right fist in a bright white light again and reeling it back, the Flame Pokémon struck the sphere, making it burst into pieces, much to the shock of the ones they were facing.

"Jeez, Fluttershy…" the red and yellow haired girl muttered while smiling still, sweating a little, "Who knew you'd have that kind of power…" she noted, narrowing her eyes onto the monkey-like creature.

"Now, Acrobatics!" her adversary ordered, spreading her arms out to their respective sides. Her partner leapt up into the air, glowing in a bright blue light before zipping down to Lopunny, striking her in a dust-filled explosion.

"Lah…!" she grunted as she slid back to her master, breathing somewhat heavily.

"Okay, High Jump Kick!" she advised to her, enticing her to jump back up and have her legs glow a bright white, aiming to strike her enemy. She crossed her arms over her face, taking the attack as a burst of wind followed upon contact.

"Er!" the pink haired girl grunted with a grimace, grabbing at her arms in an agonized manner. Her classmate on the other side was quite stunned, as it occurred at the same moment the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon had hit her opponent.

' _What was that?_ ' she asked herself after blinking, ' _Does Fluttershy… feel the exact same pain as Infernape?_ ' she questioned inwardly, evidently nervous about calling out for another attack based upon her theory.

"Giga Impact!" she then yelled.

"Pun!" her new team member responded, squatting down before taking a high leap up into the air, spinning around elegantly like a ballerina. A flash of yellow light emanated from beneath her before she dove down towards the Fire/Fighting type like an arrow, covering herself within an orb of pink aura that included yellow streaks of luminosity.

"Counter with Flare Blitz!" the animal whisperer shouted loudly.

"FURRR!" the morphed Flame Pokémon screeched as she immersed herself in pink flames, dashing out and intercepting her foe in a massive explosion.

"AGH!" the shy girl screamed in pain, grabbing at her right arm immediately. Sunset took notice and widened her eyes, while the smoke dispersed to reveal both creatures still standing, despite the numerous scrapes on their bodies.

"Fluttershy…" the Omni Force member uttered out of disbelief, unable to comprehend how her friend was able to handle the strain she was putting onto her body from the apparent synchronization.

"All right, let's go!" she suddenly exclaimed, catching her attention as she gasped in surprise, seeing her standing firm while closing her right hand into a fist, "Use Blast Burn!" she commanded, slamming her extremity against the earth.

"Blast Burn?!" the red and yellow haired girl questioned with completely shrunken pupils.

"NAAAYYYPE!" Infernape screeched as a pink, flaming aura enveloped her form. She then slammed both of her fists against the earth, causing in to shatter up in a pink light, exploding towards her foe, who wasn't moving.

"Nee?!" she yelped, suddenly becoming caught up in the blast as smoke followed with a rush of wind, making both trainers shield their eyes. When the veil cleared, both the morphed Normal/Fighting type and her adversary were still standing, despite the numerous scrapes and bruises across their bodies that made them grimace. The former pony's eyes trembled at what she had just witnessed, noticing the evidently fatigued look on her pal's face.

"Okay, that's enough!" she declared, quickly rushing over to her, much to the surprise of the others.

"Pun?" her partner uttered in confusion, transforming back into her original state in a flash of light. The Fire/Fighting type did the same as well, keeling over onto her knees while breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"Huh… huh…" the pink haired girl breathed, about to fall herself, until her friend caught her by the right arm.

"Has that happened before?" she asked out of concern, causing her to let off a nervous smile.

"Just during really intense battles…" she replied as she managed to stand back up on her own, "Infernape and I are getting better at it though…" she mentioned as both Pokémon trotted over to them.

"Fur, furr!" her team member agreed, excitedly raising her arms into the air.

"Oh gosh…" Sunset uttered out of astonishment, placing her hand upon her forehead, "If we knew, we would've-"

"You don't need to hold back for my sake," Fluttershy interjected, much to her surprise, "After all," she kept going while glancing up at the bright blue sky, "how else would you or I get better from that?" she questioned rhetorically.

"I guess you got a point…" the red and yellow haired girl admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"More importantly, you should be proud of yourself," her pal chimed in, catching her attention as she went over to Lopunny, "Even though you didn't get to know each other for very long," she began to say, putting her right hand upon the Rabbit Pokémon's shoulder, "you two still managed to Mega Evolve," she explained, "That's because you two learned to trust each other as teammates and friends, right?" she inquired cleverly, causing her former partner to blink in surprise.

"Nee!" she suddenly agreed with a huge smile, while her new trainer let off her own. A while later, the two girls had returned their respective creatures to their Poké Balls and retrieved their things, about to head off.

"I'll see you at the league!" the Omni Force member promised, waving to her friend as she went into the distance of the forest. The animal whisperer just watched her head, still waving while wishing her the best.

"That looked like a pretty good brawl," a familiar voice said, making her perk up and turn around to see Alain Regulus walking up to her.

"Oh, hi Alain!" she greeted kindly, "How was your gym battle?" she asked curiously as she went over to him.

"Easy," he replied with a shrug and small grin, "I think I'm gonna head to Shalour City next," he added, glancing off to the side, "Wanna come?" he offered, causing her to giggle.

"I'm already traveling with you, aren't I?" she responded in question, trotting off with him in the opposite direction.

 **X END STORY X**

"WHAT?!" Leslie screamed once the tale had ended, "Dylan's _dad_ was there, too?!" she asked hysterically, while her friends were all taken aback by her loud voice.

"Uh, yeah," Kyoto answered, taking another sip of his drink, "My mom didn't know about it until she saw that Fluttershy was traveling with Alain to the league itself," he explained.

"Wow," Raya uttered out of surprise, "Makes you wonder what went down during the Kalos League…" she noted with narrowed eyes.

"Speaking of which…" the Ketchum girl began, curiously glancing towards the Revonnahgander, who chuckled nervously.

"Sorry girls," he apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "but that's the only story about Mega Evolution from my mom I know," he stated, making them all widen their eyes in shock.

"Oh, darn…" Rachael muttered while placing her head against the tabletop in complete boredom.

"Well, maybe her boyfriend knows something…" the white haired girl suggested, glancing over at Sting, " _Maybe_?" she inquired with a nervous smile. The dragon slayer just sighed, folding his arms over his chest.

"Nah, I got nothin'," he told the girls, much to their dismay, "Milady's never told me about stories like that," he mentioned while looking over at them, "In fact," he continued, "this is the first time I've ever heard something about her and Mega Evolution…" he confessed as they all blinked.

"Oh, great…" the lone Pokémon trainer in the room grumbled, "Anybody at least have _some_ kind of story to tell?" she asked, placing her right hand upon her cheek in frustration.

"I do," a voice chimed in, causing them to all perk up and see Sunset Shimmer standing there, dressed in her casual clothes as she trotted into the room.

"H-Hey," the blonde haired man stammered, catching her attention, "Nice to see ya again…" he added, rubbing the back of his head.

"Good to see you, too," she replied, going over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, making him blush, "So," she restarted to the girls and her son, "you wanna hear about the story of me battling Alain in the Kalos League?" she guessed cleverly with a smirk, sitting herself down in one of the lone chairs in the room.

"Yeah!" Leslie exclaimed without a second thought, standing up excitedly.

"Okay," the Omni Force squadron leader said, smiling as she began to remember the bout she had.

 **END**

 **How about that? Sunset got Mega Evolution to work after all, and Lopunny has a new trainer to take her all the way to the Kalos League! Of course, that's where our next story takes place, being the first chapter of the series NOT to include a Mega Evolution in battle. Here's your synopsis!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **As Ash has already claimed his spot at the finals of the Kalos League, Sunset aims to reach that same level, but first has to defeat Alain in the semifinals. So far, Sunset has only seen him use his Charizard for all of his battles, so she decides to start off with Trevenant! But to her surprise, Alain brings out a Tyranitar! Just what is Sunset's strategy?! And will she manage to overcome the wall that is Alain?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **I'm just another girl having fun with her friends and rivals.**_

 **Sunset Shimmer**

 **To Ash Ketchum on the eve of the Kalos League**


	8. Sunset's Journey PART II

**Who's up for more Kalos League action? I know I am, considering how the Sun & Moon games and the anime are turning out so differently from each other… **

**That aside, I'm REALLY excited to be writing about Sunset and Alain's full battle. It's sure to give you a lot of hype, feels, and plenty of action-packed fun.**

 **With that aside, let's get right into it!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

Trotting through the stadium halls was Ash Ketchum, who had just won his semi-final match in the Kalos League against Sawyer Hughes, his longtime rival. The green haired boy had given him a great fight, but in the end, the aspiring Pokémon master emerged victorious, paving his way to the finals for the first time.

"Can you believe it, Pikachu?" he asked the Electric type perched upon his shoulder, "We made it to the finals…" he noted, looking down at his right hand before closing it into a fist.

"Pika…" his partner concurred with a nod. Suddenly, both of his ears perked up, causing him to blink before jumping down onto the floor.

"What's up, bud?" his owner asked, arching an eyebrow. Just then, he looked ahead to see Sunset Shimmer walking over to them from deep within the hall. "Hey, Sunset!" he cried out in greeting, getting her attention as both he and the mouse-like creature trotted up to her, "Ready to get out there?" he guessed to her.

"Huh," she chuckled in reply, placing her hands at her hips, "Ready as I'll ever be," she joked with a smile, making her Omni Force teammate laugh for a second.

"Alain's strong," he mentioned, changing his expression into a serious one.

"I know," the former pony agreed, glancing off to the side while folding her arms over her chest, "He's only had to use his Charizard in all of his battles up to now…" she added, nervously clutching the sleeves of her jacket. Suddenly, she felt a hand come onto her left shoulder, making her look to see the reassuring grin the raven haired boy had on his face.

"You still got a plan, don'tcha'?" he guessed with a wink while causing her to blink in surprise, but then smile herself.

"Yeah, I do," she responded in a confident tone, "Thanks, Ash," she said out of gratitude, going up to him and embracing him in a hug, causing him to widen his eyes in astonishment before she let go.

"What… was that for?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"For being my friend," the Equestrian magic user answered, "Back when I was starting to make amends for what I did in the past," she kept going, remembering the times in Canterlot High where she had been berated by her own classmates, "you were the first one to accept me for being the… new me," she told him, causing him to widen his eyes as he too recalled being supportive of the red and yellow haired girl, even as everyone was going against her.

"Guess I picked that up from Mira…" he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head while blushing.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu sighed deeply, putting his paws onto his hips. Sunset just giggled, walking off into the distance.

"Hey, Ash!" she called out, catching the Pokémon trainer's attention as he looked over to see her stick her right hand up, showing off her red guild mark while also pointing her index finger towards the ceiling and curving her thumb to the side, "Watch out for me, 'kay?" she advised while winking, causing him to grin as he performed the same action with his extremity.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Let's meet in the finals!" he declared as he grinned widely.

"Pika!" his partner squeaked excitedly, letting his cheeks spark while clenching his paws. The former pony smiled, turning around and trotting off, prepared to enter the stadium for her battle.

 **SUNSET'S JOURNEY PART II**

"We better hurry!" the raven haired boy stated as both he and the Mouse Pokémon ran out back into the stands of the arena, still marveling the massive amount of spectators there.

"Chu…" the latter of the two uttered out of surprise, looking around.

"Yeah, it sure is something…" his master agreed while rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, Ash!" a familiar cried out, catching their attentions as they looked and smiled to see Mirajane Strauss waving to them from a section in the stands, sitting beside Gingka Hagane, Erza Scarlet, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Tierno, Shauna, Trevor, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. The former three of the group got up from their seats, quickly jogging up to him.

"Congrats, dude," his Omni Force teammate complimented, playfully punching his right shoulder with a grin, "You really pulled through back there," he mentioned while folding his arms over his chest.

"Heh," the Pokémon trainer chuckled, "Thanks, Gingka," he said in gratitude.

"You and your Pokémon were amazing," the requip user chimed in, suddenly grabbing the competitor's head with her left hand and squishing it against her chest in an affectionate manner, much to his embarrassment as his face turned a bright red.

"I-Is this… really necessary?" he asked with a stutter, not getting a response from the scarlet haired mage, while the beyblader just sighed deeply. The take over wizard just giggled, also glad for her beloved.

"Looks like he's doing just fine after all that…" the pigtailed performer noted while putting her hand onto her cheek.

"Well, he's got some supermodels cheerin' him on," her roundish friend chimed in as he crossed his arms, "I'd be fine, too!" he stated, causing both her and the photographer to chuckle nervously. Meanwhile, the short haired female sitting behind them just looked on and smiled; happy that her crush had made it so far into the tournament thanks to his Pokémon and the support of his friends.

"He sure is something else," Clemont pointed out with a grin, catching her attention as he was glancing over at the group of friends, "Then again," he kept going, "we shouldn't be surprised if he's done it before…" he added with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah!" his little sister agreed, "Besides, I don't think Ash is gonna miss out on the chance to impress his girlfriend…" she mentioned with a sly grin.

"Day, nay!" Dedenne squeaked, poking his head out from her purse. Both the Lumiose gym leader and the older girl with her just smiled, glancing back to see the group of four chatting regularly, as Ash had freed himself from Erza's grasp.

"Hey, guys!" a familiar voice called, causing them to all perk up and look to see Sawyer standing there, trotting down the stairs to them.

"Sawyer!" the raven haired boy exclaimed as he came over, "You got your team healed that fast?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and you did too," he replied cheekily with a nod, "Nurse Joy sure does a great job with taking care of everyone's Pokémon with all the competitors here," he noted, glancing around to see everyone in the stands, including those that had lost in the tournament.

"Do you wanna sit with us?" Mirajane guessed in a sweet tone, getting their attentions.

"Sure!" the green haired boy answered as he smiled, making her giggle as she, the requip user, and Gingka walked back down to their seats, "Boy, Ash," he began, getting his rival's attention, "your girlfriend is really nice," he noted as the one beside him instantaneously blushed.

"G-G-Girlfriend?!" he stammered out of shock, much to the well-dressed boy's confusion.

"Isn't she?" he questioned, gesturing over to her.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed deeply, smacking himself in the face with his right paw, while his master was stuttering, trying to tell the tan skinned boy that he wasn't in a relationship with the white haired beauty.

" _Ladies and gentlemen!_ " the announcer's voice suddenly boomed, catching everyone's attention as both the Pokémon trainer and his rival went down and sat in their seats beside the aisle, " _It's now time for the second semifinal matchup!_ " he stated, making the crowd erupt into a frenzy of cheers. Coming out from the tunnels that led to their respective pedestals were Sunset and Alain, who both had stoic and serious expressions upon their faces.

"Go get him, Sunset!" Rainbow bellowed as loud as she could.

"Show that Charizard who's boss!" Applejack added.

"Yeah! Beat him!" Pinkie screamed, waving her arms around wildly. As the red and yellow haired girl finally made it up to the dais, she let out a breath of air, letting the wind rush by her hair, making it sway as she stared ahead at her future foe, who also got onto his pedestal.

"Looks like the twerpette's not exactly thrilled…" the disguised Jessie noted from the standing area of the stadium with James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet, lowering her camera a little.

"Who can blame her?" her partner in crime questioned rhetorically, "She's up against arguably the _strongest_ trainer in the whole competition…" he mentioned, narrowing his eyes a little, "Obviously, she's gonna be focused…" he added.

"Don't forget about the twerp," the Scratch Cat Pokémon chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked over at him with confused expressions, "Whoever wins here has to go up against him," he said with a serious face, "And trust me," he continued, clenching the rod of the microphone he had more tightly, "that's not gonna be easy…" he finished as both of his teammates nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Professor Sycamore looked on at his former pupil from the V.I.P. section with Diantha, still concerned over his demeanor as he had easily made his way to this point in the tournament.

' _Alain…_ ' he uttered inwardly, wondering what had happened since he had been gone. All of a sudden, the battlefield arena began floating up towards the pedestals, catching everyone's attention as they curiously looked to see what stage the battlers would be competing on.

" _Folks, this match pits Alain against Sunset!_ " the announcer exclaimed as the two of them still eyed each without noticing the coming field for the moment, " _Both trainers have proved to be formidable throughout the tournament,_ " he kept going, " _even as Sunset narrowly managed to make it through the quarterfinals,_ " he explained, while the rainbow haired girl in the stands tensed up, clenching her sport shorts tightly with her hands.

"I know you can do it, Sunset…" she said quietly as a bit of sweat rolled down from her forehead, "You've got my luck," she added with a confident smile. Rarity worriedly clasped her hands together before herself, while Fluttershy nervously bit her bottom lip, wanting her close friend to move on in the competition, but also hoping that her newer friend would do his best as well.

"So far Alain's only used just Charizard, right?" Erza guessed, glancing over at her guild mate.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod, developing a serious expression on her face, "With him being his strongest, it shouldn't be a surprise…" she mentioned while narrowing her eyes onto the oncoming field. Her beloved sitting beside her glanced down for a moment, closing both of his hands into fists as he remembered the black haired teen saying that he entered the league in order to battle against him.

' _I don't care who we end up facing in the finals…_ ' he admitted to himself, taking a deep breath of air through his nose, ' _but… I wanna fight someone who's doing this for real over just wanting to fight me,_ ' he stated inwardly, looking over at Sunset, ' _Good luck,_ ' he said through thought, smiling towards her with Pikachu.

" _The field for this semifinal battle will be…_ " the announcer began to say through the loudspeakers, as the stage itself attached to the pedestals with a clang, being an arena of nothing but sand arranged in small dunes, " _… the desert stage!_ " he exclaimed as the crowd cheered.

"A desert?" Gingka questioned, arching an eyebrow while folding his arms over his chest.

"Haven't seen that field yet…" Clemont mentioned as he pushed his glasses back up to his eyes, while Pinkie looked over at him with a small blush on her cheeks, "I wonder what Sunset's going to do to try and take advantage of that," he pointed out.

"Me too…" his sister uttered worriedly, "If Alain's starting off with just Charizard again," she kept going, "she's gonna be in a lotta trouble…" she said worriedly, clutching her skirt tightly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow chimed in, catching their attentions, "Sunset's got a plan to deal with that powerhouse of his," she told them, "I just know it," she declared confidently with a wink, turning back to face the battlefield. The properly-dressed referee then made his way onto the sandy stage, extending his arms out to their respective sides.

"The semifinal match between Alain and Sunset will now begin!" he bellowed loudly, "Each side will use six Pokémon, and the battle is over when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue," he explained, "In addition, you may substitute your Pokémon freely at any time," he mentioned as the two competitors were about ready to go, "There will be a field change once three of one side's Pokémon are no longer able to battle," he finished, "Now please select your Pokémon!" he advised, enticing them to reach down to their belts and pull out a Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button.

"And here we go…" Applejack muttered nervously as she and everyone else awaited the selections of the trainers, with the female of the two reeling her arm back first.

"Trevenant, let's go!" she called out, throwing the containment up into the air, letting it pop open. The light that poured out from it went onto the ground, coming into form before dissipating to reveal the Elder Tree Pokémon.

"Trrrevva!" he shouted, while his image appeared within the large hexagon on the big screen right under his master's face.

"Trevenant?!" Sawyer exclaimed in surprise, while the others widened their eyes as well.

"Correct me if ah'm wrong…" the cowgirl began, folding her arms over her chest, "but aren't Grass types a no-go against Fire types?" she asked her friends.

"Obviously, darling!" Rarity replied immediately, surprising her a little, "I wonder what Sunset is planning…" she added with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Come on out, Tyranitar!" Alain bellowed, throwing his own container into the air. It popped open, and the luminosity formed upon the sandy earth, vanishing in a flash to show the Armor Pokémon standing there.

"BRRRRAAAAAHHHH!" he screeched, much to the astonishment of the red and yellow haired girl, including her friends in the stands.

"He has a Tyranitar?!" Rainbow exclaimed out of shock, while Pinkie was blinking rapidly beside her. The image of the creature then appeared within the large hexagon on the black haired teen's side of the large screen. Serena immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out her Pokédex, opening it and letting it load for a moment while focusing on the Rock/Dark type before an image of him appeared upon the screen.

" _Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon,_ " it began in a female voice, " _In just one of his or her mighty hands, a Tyranitar has the power to make the ground shake and mountains crumble,_ it explained as everyone listened in closely, " _If a Tyranitar rampages, he or she knocks down mountains and buries rivers,_ " it mentioned," _Maps must be redrawn afterward,_ " it finished, allowing for its user to put it away.

"Sounds like a scary Pokémon…" Bonnie said worriedly.

"And one that has the ability to create a sandstorm once sent out in battle…" Rarity mentioned, placing her right hand upon her chin, "Sand Stream, I think…" she added to the group.

"But a Rock type is weak to Grass types like Trevenant," Trevor chimed in reassuringly.

"Even so, a Dark type like Tyranitar has an advantage against Ghost types," Clemont noted cleverly, folding his arms over his chest, "This battle won't just be decided on type advantage alone…" he said as his glasses shined from the sunlight. Gingka kept his fists tightly clenched out of anxiety, while everyone else around him was feeling the same, especially Ash as he gritted his teeth. In the meantime, Sunset let a couple drops of sweat roll down her head, followed by witnessing a sudden burst of dust erupt beneath the beastly-looking creature, turning into a sandstorm that covered the whole field.

"Trrrevvaaah…" her current team member grunted, shutting his lone eye to avoid getting specks of dirt in it.

' _So he's NOT using Charizard first?!_ ' she inwardly inquired with a look of frustration, also trying to endure the change in weather, ' _I thought he'd wanna bring him right out and wrap the whole thing up to get to Ash…_ " she confessed through thought, recomposing herself as she stood firmly upon her pedestal, ' _A change in plan won't ruin everything,_ ' she told herself, staring ahead seriously, ' _I'll deal with this the same way I've dealt with other battles!_ ' she declared inwardly while closing her hands into fists.

"Let the battle… begin!" the referee proclaimed, swinging his right arm down.

"Trevenant, Ingrain!" the red and yellow haired girl called out instantly.

"Treh!" the Elder Tree Pokémon responded, having his body radiate a bright green light as small tree roots suddenly emerged from the ground, attaching to his form. While the sandstorm raged on, a greenish aura shrouded him, flowing up his body.

"Hm…" Alain hummed with narrowed eyes, still keeping a serious disposition.

"Ingrain?" Bonnie uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side, "What's that?" she asked curiously.

"A move that recovers a little bit of Trevenant's health over time," her brother answered, catching the attentions of those around him, "Sunset must've called for that to try and cancel out the effects of the sandstorm that'll hurt him," he explained while pushing his glasses back up to his eyes.

"Yeah…" Applejack agreed as she folded her arms over her chest.

' _Or maybe that was part of her plan in the first place…_ ' she inwardly realized.

"Even with Ingrain, I won't let you get the upper hand!" the black haired teen on the battlefield yelled in declaration, "Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!" he commanded to his team member.

"Braaa!" he replied, opening his mouth and unleashing a beam of dark purple circles at his foe.

"Phantom Force!" the former pony bellowed. Having his lone eye flash a bright purple, the Ghost/Grass type suddenly vanished into thin air, avoiding the attack as it struck nothing but the sandy earth. His opponent was admittedly stunned, glancing around the desert-like field to see if he could spot him. All of a sudden, he reappeared behind him, catching his attention too late as his adversary struck him with his left claw, sending him stumbling back.

"All right!" Rainbow cheered with an excited grin from the stands.

"Tch," the male trainer on the stage scoffed, "Stone Edge!" he ordered, throwing his right fist out. The Armor Pokémon recomposed himself, letting out another roar before slamming his hands against the ground, causing light blue rock pillars to burst out and surge toward his enemy.

"Phantom Force, again!" Sunset demanded. Her team member had his eye flash purple once more before vanishing, avoiding the oncoming attack. Unable to tell if he had struck with his move, the Rock/Dark type narrowed his eyes onto the cloud of dust that emanated afterwards, not noticing his foe reappear right behind him, allowing him to strike his opponent right in the back with his right claw.

"BRRAA!" he cried out in agony, stumbling forward while clenching his teeth. He turned around and glared at Trevenant, who still had the greenish aura flowing up his body.

" _Trevenant's Phantom Force packs a wallop on Tyranitar!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone as both fighters stared each other down, " _And thanks to Ingrain,_ " he continued, " _it looks like Trevenant is keeping himself steady, despite the raging sandstorm!_ " he stated.

"Atta' girl, Sunset!" Applejack yelled from the stands.

"Yeah, go get 'im!" Pinkie squeaked excitedly.

"Trevenant, Wood Hammer!" the red and yellow haired girl commanded. The Elder Tree Pokémon closed his right claw into a fist, shrouding it within a green aura shaped like a tree stump. He then charged forward, raising his arm up.

"Counter it with Crunch!" Alain shouted to his team member. He immediately responded by having his teeth glow a bright white, trudging through the sand. The two battlers intercepted their attacks, with the beastly creature biting down onto the stump-like aura, causing an explosion to occur right then, blowing the both of them back across the earth. They grimaced in agony, and the Armor Pokémon actually fell onto his right knee.

"All right, Phantom Force!" the Omni Force member bellowed, swinging out her arms.

"Treh!" her teammate replied, having his lone eye flash a dark purple once more, disappearing instantly.

"Turn around and use Shadow Claw!" the opposing trainer ordered. Cloaking his left hand within a shadowy, purple aura shaped like a claw, the Rock/Dark type span around right at the moment his foe reappeared, striking him fiercely before he could attack, sending him tumbling across the sandy earth in a cloud of dust, much to everyone's surprise.

"Treh… vah…" he grunted as the veil dissipated, revealing him trying to get back up.

"Trevenant!" his owner cried out worriedly.

"Follow it up with Stone Edge!" the black haired teen yelled, throwing out his right fist. Slamming both of his hands against the ground, Tyranitar made more light blue rock pillars surge up and head for his adversary.

"Quick, Phantom Force!" Sunset shouted quickly. Unfortunately, her cry came too late as the attack struck her teammate, sending him high up into the air.

"Nennnt…" he uttered before crashing down onto the earth, groaning all the while.

"Oh no!" Rarity exclaimed from the stands, grimacing at the sight.

"Dagnabbit…" Applejack muttered as she folded her arms over chest, "Who would've thought he'd figure out how to deal with that there Phantom Force…" she noted, narrowing her eyes.

"It's a powerful Ghost type move that lets the user disappear for one turn and then reappear to attack for the next," Clemont explained, "Alain must've been predicting where Trevenant would end up when attacking…" he added while placing his hand upon his chin.

"Whoa…" Pinkie uttered out of disbelief, becoming somewhat nervous.

" _And Tyranitar lands powerful blows of Shadow Claw and Stone Edge onto Trevenant!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, while the Elder Tree Pokémon started to stand back up on his spider leg-like roots, having the greenish aura flow up his body again, " _Can Trevenant still battle?!_ " he asked as the crowd watched on in anticipation, cheering wildly.

"Ingrain only heals so much damage in a fight," Gingka mentioned with narrowed eyes, "This isn't looking good for Sunset…" he grumbled, closing his hands into clenched fists. Ash just gritted his teeth, hoping for the best from his friend down below.

"Shadow Claw!" Alain bellowed, enticing his team member to have both of his hands become covered by the shadowy, claw-shaped aura once again, charging towards his foe. The former pony gnashed her teeth together, throwing out her right fist.

"Use Wood Hammer!" she ordered. The Ghost/Grass type shrouded his claws in the green, stump-shaped aura, moving forward and swinging them both out at the same time as his opponents, colliding their extremities in an explosion of dust, making their respective trainers flinch as they covered their eyes to endure the force of it. The two beings slid out from the cloud moments later, looking evidently scraped from the bout. However, the tree-like of the two began stumbling back in agony, breathing heavily despite the greenish aura flowing up his body again.

"Now Dark Pulse!" the black haired teen commanded.

"BRRRAAAHHH!" the Armor Pokémon roared as his mouth began to glow in an ominous purple light.

"Treva…" his adversary grunted, still breathing heavily while noticing the frustrated expression upon his master's face.

' _I've got no choice!_ ' she inwardly realized, clenching her fists tightly.

"Trevenant, Forest's Curse!" she called out. Standing firm upon the command, the Elder Tree Pokémon stuck out his hands before his lone eye flashed a bright red, followed by the sand glowing a bright purple with vines growing out, wrapping around his enemy's arms, legs, and torso in order to constrict him.

"Huh?" Pinkie uttered out of confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"What's Forest's Curse gonna do?" Rainbow asked, narrowing her eyes in a worried manner as the others were just as perplexed.

"Brrr…" Tyranitar growled, unable to move as the purple vines kept on draping themselves over him.

"Don't stop!" his owner cried out, pumping his right fist, "Dark Pulse!" he ordered once more. Hearing his words, the Rock/Dark type had his mouth glow again as he then unleashed a beam of dark purple circles, having them collide head on with his opponent in a massive explosion. Once the smoke finally cleared thanks to the sandstorm, he fell over onto his backside in agony, while the purple vines disappeared, allowing for the beastly creature to move again.

"Vah…" the Ghost/Grass type groaned in agony as a swirl was in his eye. The referee rushed over, assessing the situation before raising his right arm up into the air.

"Trevenant is unable to battle!" he shouted over the raging storm of sand, "Tyranitar wins!" he declared. The former's image upon the big screen in the large red hexagon became greyed out, while the crowd let out their cheers.

" _Wow!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone as Sunset sighed, pulling out her team member's Poké Ball and returning him to it in a beam of red light, saying words of thanks as well, " _Tyranitar pulls through and gives Alain the first victory!_ " he stated loudly.

"BAAAHHH!" the Armor Pokémon roared. His trainer just grinned for a moment, but suddenly noticed him cringing in agony, appearing to be affected by the sandstorm as he was squinting.

"Aw, man!" the rainbow haired girl in the stands muttered angrily.

"Talk about a surprise …" Tierno noted, folding his arms over his chest, "I really thought Trevenant was gonna pull through there," he confessed.

"Yeah, me too," Shauna agreed, "And by the way…" she continued, catching the attentions of those around her, "how come she had him use Forest's Curse at the end like that?" she asked curiously.

"Dunno…" Fluttershy answered with a shake of her head.

"If she wanted to have Trevenant hold 'im down for a big hit," Applejack began to say, "she should've done it earlier!" she yelled, evidently frustrated as the fashionista beside her widened her eyes in surprise.

"I'm not sure _that's_ what she was trying to do," Mirajane chimed in, catching their attentions.

"Whaddaya mean?" Bonnie questioned while arching an eyebrow.

"I mean, maybe Sunset had another reason to call out for Forest's Curse at the end," she suggested, narrowing her eyes onto the battlefield as the red and yellow haired girl pulled out another Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button.

"That's right…" Erza realized, widening her eyes slightly, "Your Phantump knows how to use the same move," she pointed out, getting a nod in reply from the maiden.

"I'm sure she has a plan," she stated confidently, "After all," she continued while glancing over at the raven haired boy and smiling, "that's what you would say, right Ash?" she inquired with a wink, making him blush on the spot.

"R-Right…" he stuttered in reply, scratching at his right cheek.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed in frustration.

" _Now which Pokémon will Sunset choose next?_ " the announcer asked, while she reeled her arm back.

"Pyroar, let's go!" she called out, throwing the containment up into the air, letting it pop open. The light that poured out from it came into form upon the sandy earth, being the female Royal Pokémon as she opened her blue eyes.

"PYYYY!" she bellowed, growling in anticipation. Alain merely narrowed his eyes at the sight of her, while most of the people in the crowd gasped.

"Pyroar?!" Rainbow exclaimed as the lioness-like creature's image appeared in the large hexagon on the big screen, while Trevenant's went off to the end of the line of six at the female's section of the board, "What the heck is she doing?!" her athletic classmate asked hysterically, standing up from her seat.

"Hm…" the requip user hummed while placing her right hand upon her chin, "I wonder…" she uttered quietly, looking down at the field.

" _Sunset selects Pyroar to go up against Tyranitar!_ " the announcer yelled over the loudspeakers, " _Just what is she planning to do?!_ " he asked loudly, while both creatures on the field grimaced from feeling the sandstorm rushing by them.

"Huh?" Clemont uttered in surprise, noticing how the Armor Pokémon was cringing out of pain.

"Pyroar, Noble Roar!" the red and yellow haired girl shouted.

"RRRRAAAAOOOHHHH!" the Normal/Fire type bellowed, releasing a powerful wave of sound from her mouth onto her foe, who merely let it pass by him. A blue aura then appeared over his form, flowing down his body, much to the surprise of the male trainer on the field.

"What was that move?" Bonnie asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Noble Roar causes an opponent's attack and special attack to be lowered…" her brother answered, wondering what exactly the Omni Force member on stage was planning while pushing his glasses back up to his eyes.

"One more time!" she yelled, enticing her current teammate to let out another cry, sending out another wave of sound that went by her adversary, causing the blue aura to show itself over his body again.

' _So she's trying to overpower him by doing that?_ ' Alain inwardly guessed, narrowing his eyes, ' _That won't work,_ ' he stated to himself as a confident grin came across his lips.

"Stone Edge!" he commanded, throwing out his right fist.

"BRRAAAHHH!" Tyranitar roared, slamming his right hand against the ground, causing several light blue rock pillars to surge up, heading towards his enemy.

"Flame Charge!" Sunset ordered. The Royal Pokémon then immersed herself within a fiery aura, charging forward and avoiding the oncoming stones. She took a great leap and slammed into her opponent head first, causing an explosion to occur upon impact. The Rock/Dark type stumbled back in agony upon taking the attack, falling onto his left knee while breathing heavily.

"Whoa, what?" Rainbow uttered in confusion from the stands.

"That looked like it hurt…" Rarity noted with a perplexed expression, "but isn't Tyranitar a Rock type?" she questioned to her friends. All of a sudden, Sawyer gasped in realization, getting their attentions.

"That's because Tyranitar's type changed!" he responded, reaching into the pocket of his vest and pulling out his notebook, opening it as he quickly flipped through its pages.

"His type changed?" Ash questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked, confused as well.

"A move like Forest's Curse is actually meant to change a Pokémon's type to Grass," the green haired boy explained as he found the page he had been looking for, much to the shock of the group as they all gasped, "That must've been why Sunset chose Pyroar to fight Tyranitar after Trevenant went down," he pointed out, cracking a smile, "Boy, your girlfriend sure hit the mark, Ash," he told his rival, while Mirajane just giggled out of flattery.

"Yeah, she's-" the aspiring Pokémon master halted his remark as he realized what he was agreeing to, blushing madly. "S-She's not my girlfriend!" he stuttered in embarrassment, causing the well-dressed boy to arch an eyebrow towards him in confusion.

"Pi…" the Electric type groaned with a shake of his head, as the take over wizard just smiled at their interaction.

"Hyper Voice!" the former pony commanded. The Royal Pokémon then leapt up, letting out an ear-piercing screech that created a blue wave of energy, which slammed into her adversary as he began sliding back.

"Braaaahhh…!" he grunted, trying desperately to hold on. Once the sound subsided, he keeled over onto his knee again, gritting his teeth out of agony.

"Follow up with Flame Charge!" the red and yellow haired girl shouted, swinging out her left arm.

"Rah!" her team member responded, encasing herself in a fiery aura before speeding towards her foe.

"Use Crunch!" Alain ordered, enticing the Armor Pokémon to stand back up and have his teeth glow a bright white, opening his mouth while seeing his opponent leap at him. The two collided in a fierce explosion, blowing both of them back within the smoke. Once it cleared though, it revealed the former of the two falling onto both of his knees, breathing heavily and grimacing from the attacks he had taken along with the raging sandstorm.

"Now finish it up with Fire Blast!" the Omni Force member bellowed, pumping her fist up into the air.

"RRROOOOAAAHHH!" the Fire/Normal type roared, having flames billow up within her mouth before releasing them to her enemy in the shape of a five-pointed star, striking him in a fiery explosion before he could react, while the sandstorm dissipated from the force of the blast. Once the veil of smoke cleared moments later, it revealed the beastly creature lying upon the ground on his back, having swirls in his eyes while groaning.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle!" the referee cried out after inspecting the Rock/Dark type, raising his left arm up into the air, "Pyroar wins!" he declared as he gestured towards her.

"Raahh!" she screeched delightedly, while her trainer smiled. The crowd broke out into cheers again as the image of the Armor Pokémon became greyed out on the screen.

" _What a shock!_ " the announcer's voice boomed through the microphone, " _Pyroar pulls through easily, despite the type disadvantage!_ " he yelled excitedly.

"Not only that," Sawyer began from the stands, shutting his notebook, "by changing Tyranitar's type, she took away his immunity to the sandstorm," he noted cleverly.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash realized with a wide grin, "Since Tyranitar became a Grass type," he continued, "his own sandstorm could hurt him then!" he said as a look of happiness spread across his face.

"Well ah'll be!" Applejack exclaimed while folding her arms over her chest, "I never thought Sunset would've had a plan like that," she admitted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, same…" Gingka agreed, as everyone else continued to voice their joy for the Omni Force member.

' _I don't think that plan was meant for Tyranitar though…_ ' he confessed to himself, narrowing his eyes.

"Nice job, Pyroar!" the Omni Force member on the battlefield complimented to her current partner, who turned around and smiled, "You wanna keep going?" she asked her.

"Py!" she replied excitedly, putting her focus back onto the opposing trainer, who returned the Rock/Dark type to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, putting it back onto his belt before pulling out another one. The red and yellow haired girl blinked in confusion, noticing that he had said nothing to his fallen teammate, even as he placed his container away.

"Metagross, go!" he called out, throwing the enlarged spherical containment up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth onto the sandy came into form, dissipating to reveal the Iron Leg Pokémon.

"Mehhhttaah!" he bellowed upon entering.

" _Alain's second Pokémon is Metagross!_ " the announcer declared over the loudspeaker, as the Steel/Psychic type's image appeared within the large hexagon of the male trainer's side of the screen, while the Armor Pokémon's went to the end, " _How is he planning to deal with Pyroar by using it?!_ " he asked loudly. In the meantime, Serena pulled out her Pokédex, aiming it at the new being on the field as an image of it appeared on the screen.

" _Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon, and the evolved form of Metang,_ " the device stated, " _With four linked brains, Metagross is more intelligent than a supercomputer, and it uses calculations to analyze foes,_ " it explained, while the rest of the group listened closely, " _Two_ _Metang combine to form it,_ " it added, allowing for its user to close it up.

"A Metagross now?" Rainbow questioned, arching an eyebrow before letting out a groan, "Where does Alain find cool Pokémon like that?!" she shouted in frustration, folding her arms under her chest while giving off a pout.

"More importantly…" Rarity began, turning to her right, "Fluttershy, did you know Alain had a Pokémon like a Tyranitar?" she asked the shy girl, catching her attention.

"Actually, no…" she replied, causing everyone around to widen their eyes in surprise upon hearing, "In fact," she kept going, glancing back down at the stage, "aside from his Charizard and Metagross," she continued, "I don't know who Alain's other Pokémon are…" she told them, making them all gasp out of shock.

"So Sunset's left in the dark…" Tierno realized, crossing his arms.

"And Alain probably knows what Pokémon she'll be using…" Trevor added as drops of sweat rolled down from his head.

"Even with type advantage here," Clemont started to say, "Sunset definitely has no time to relax," he stated, pushing his glasses up to his eyes as they shined in the sunlight. The two fighters on the sand stared each other down for a moment, waiting for the commands from their masters.

' _Metagross might be a Steel type…_ ' the red and yellow haired girl began to herself, closing her right hand into a fist, ' _but I'm sure Alain brought it out for a reason,_ " she noted inwardly, ' _We can't get cocky,_ " she finished through thought, raising her right arm up into the air.

"Pyroar, Noble Roar!" she called out, enticing her current partner to take a deep breath before letting out a screech that rushed by her adversary in a blast of sound. However, it appeared to be unaffected as it glared ahead at her, much to her surprise.

' _What?!_ ' the former pony exclaimed inwardly in disbelief, trembling a little.

"Clear Body," her opponent said, catching her attention as she looked over at him, "Metagross' ability makes sure its unaffected by moves that could lower attack or defense," he explained, pulling off a grin, "I figured you'd try to overpower it the same way as before," he mentioned, making her grit her teeth out of frustration.

"All right, Flame Charge!" she ordered. The lioness-like creature charged forward, encasing herself in flames while heading for her enemy.

"Use Psyshock!" the black haired teen yelled to his current teammate. The Iron Leg Pokémon's eyes flashed a bright purple before an orb of energy in the same color appeared before his face.

"Meh…TAAHHH!" he bellowed, having the energy release into several rays of light, all heading for the Royal Pokémon. However, she quickly dodged them, letting them strike the ground in explosions of dust as she slammed herself into her foe head, making it slide back across the ground with a grunt.

"Okay, one more time!" the Omni Force member exclaimed, throwing her right arm down. Re-immersing herself in fire, the Fire/Normal type growled, zooming towards her opponent again.

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" the scarf-wearing trainer commanded. The metallic megalith then stuck its front legs out in front of its face, having them clang together as a blue aura shrouded them. It used its back ones to suddenly rocket forward at full speed, intercepting its enemy in a huge blast of wind, followed by a massive explosion of dust.

"Ergh!" Sunset grunted, trying to endure the force of the impact as it rushed by her hair, making it sway wildly. Once the veil cleared, it revealed the Royal Pokémon breathing heavily with scrapes all over her body, while her opponent appeared to be just fine, staring ahead at her.

" _Oh my!_ " the announcer's voice boomed in shock, " _Metagross manages to take another Flame Charge and puts Pyroar in a tight spot!_ " he pointed out, as the latter being talked about was gritting her teeth in frustration and agony.

"Guess being stuck in the sandstorm for a while didn't really help Pyroar…" Erza noted, blinking at the sight.

"Yeah," Mirajane agreed with a nod, "And like a lot of Steel types," she continued, while Ash, Gingka, and Sawyer kept their eyes on the battlefield, "Metagross has a lot of defense," she stated, developing a nervous expression.

"You think she'll be okay?" Serena asked the gym leader beside her, as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Hard to say…" he answered with his own anxious face, "If Sunset wants to beat that Metagross," he kept going, folding his arms over his chest, "she'll have to take advantage of Pyroar's speed…" he stated.

"Metagross, Psyshock!" Alain commanded.

"METAAHHH!" his current teammate exclaimed, releasing more streaks of purple and white light just in front of its face, sending them toward his enemy.

"Dodge it!" the red and yellow haired girl cried out quickly. The Fire/Normal type maneuvered herself out of the way from the first few beams as they rushed by, but the next few ones struck her in a smoke-filled explosion, making her yell in pain. "Pyroar!" her master screamed worriedly.

"Now Meteor Mash!" the raven haired teen bellowed. Clanging its front legs together and aiming them towards the veil, the Steel/Psychic type had a blue aura shroud his form before rocketing forward. The Omni Force member grimaced in realization, widening her eyes.

"Fire Blast!" she yelled, causing the lioness-like creature to perk up, standing and having flames billow up within her mouth. She then shot out the fire in the shape of a five-pointed star, blowing the veil apart and heading straight for her foe. It rammed into the flames, appearing to grimace upon contact, but suddenly zoomed through them, slamming into its adversary fiercely, sending her tumbling across the sand.

"Ah!" Rarity shrieked in fright, while Fluttershy covered her eyes and turned away, not wanting to endure the sight of such a blow.

"Meh…" Metagross grunted as it landed upon the ground. He glanced ahead to see his foe trying to stand back up, groaning in pain all the while.

"Pyroar, easy!" her trainer advised with a concerned expression, as her teammate grunted angrily, "We can still get out of this if you-"

"Rock Slide!" Alain's voice ordered, interjecting her sentence as a light blue aura emanated from the metallic megalith's body, followed by orange sparks of electricity appearing from underneath it. A white circle then appeared over its head, growing in size before forming into multiple white ovals. They turned into grey stones with their own light blue outline, aiming themselves at the Royal Pokémon. In almost an instant, they slammed into her, multiplying even further as they built up a cloud of dust.

"Pyroar!" Sunset screamed out of worry, while her friends in the stands all were stunned by the sight. Once the rocks stopped falling, the veil of sand dissipated to reveal the lioness-like creature lying upon the ground on her right side, having swirls in her eyes. The referee immediately ran over to assess the result, raising his right arm up into the air.

"Pyroar is unable to battle!" he shouted after a moment, gesturing towards the Iron Leg Pokémon, "Metagross wins!" he declared. The crowd let out a loud cheer, while the Fire/Normal type's image within the large hexagon on the big screen was greyed out.

" _Metagross takes an impressive win for Alain!_ " the announcer stated over the loudspeaker, while the red and yellow haired girl was just left stunned by what had happened, " _He retakes the early lead and brings Sunset down to four Pokémon!_ " he added as the girl in question clenched her teeth in frustration, returning her teammate to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Thanks for the hard work, Pyroar," she said in gratitude to it, placing it back onto her belt, "You deserve a long rest," she mentioned while reaching down to grab another container.

"Sunset…" Applejack uttered in concern from the stands. All of a sudden, Rainbow stood up, catching the attentions of everyone around her.

"Come on, Sunset!" she shouted as loud as she could, "Don't let two losses like that get to you!" she advised angrily, as the girl below enlarged the spherical container in her hand by pressing its center.

' _Yeah…_ ' she inwardly agreed, glaring ahead at her opponent with piercing eyes, ' _I won't!_ ' she declared, reeling her arm back.

"Go Hippowdon!" she bellowed, throwing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that poured out from it went onto the ground, coming into form before dissipating to reveal the Heavyweight Pokémon.

"POWWWW!" he roared, opening and closing his large mouth. All of a sudden, a burst of dust emanated from beneath him, followed by a sandstorm that spread throughout the area.

"Hmph," Alain scoffed, squinting in order to avoid getting the dirt in his eyes.

" _And Sunset selects Hippowdon to be her next Pokémon!_ " the announcer yelled through the microphone as an image of Ground type appeared within the large red hexagon, while Pyroar's was placed at the end of the line with Trevenant's, " _How will Alain respond?!_ " he asked loudly.

"All right!" Bonnie squeaked excitedly, pumping her right fist up.

"With Hippowdon being a Ground type," Serena began, "Sunset's got the advantage still," she noted with a smile.

"Yeah, but look what happened with Pyroar," Tierno chimed in, getting their attentions, "Hate to admit it," he kept going as he folded his arms over his chest, "but I don't think she's gonna get an easy victory…" he confessed, narrowing his eyes onto the field.

"Don't worry," Ash reassured, catching everyone's attention, "Sunset'll pull through," he stated with a clenched right fist, "She always does," he added confidently.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed with a nod, looking back at the stage.

"Hippowdon, Bulldoze!" the red and yellow haired girl commanded with closed extremities. The hippo-like creature lifted his front legs up, slamming them against the earth, causing it to surge up towards his enemy.

' _So that's her plan,_ ' the scarf-wearing teen noted, developing a serious expression.

"Use Magnet Rise!" he called out.

"Metahh!" Metagross responded, suddenly cloaking itself within a yellowish light, tucking its legs up and floating, avoiding the oncoming attack.

"Uh oh!" Pinkie exclaimed from the seats, grimacing slightly as everyone else gasped at the sight.

"Alain planned for that…" Erza noted, quite shocked herself, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"Now Psyshock!" the black haired trainer on the battlefield commanded, closing his right hand into a fist. Forming another orb of purple energy in front of its face, the Iron Leg Pokémon unleashed more beams of light towards its foe. He took them head on, causing an explosion of dust to envelop him. However, it cleared to reveal him shaking his head, letting out another roar as he was ready to continue.

"Two can play at that game!" Sunset declared with a serious expression on her face, "Rock Slide!" she ordered.

"Pow!" her current teammate replied as a light blue aura enveloped his form. Sparks of orange electricity appeared underneath him, while bright white lights appeared over his opponent's body, causing it to perk up in surprise. The multitude of luminosities became stones shrouded by the same bluish light, instantly slamming into their target, making it lose its balance as it began floating down to the ground.

"Stay up!" the scarf-wearing trainer advised loudly.

"Bring him down with Crunch!" the red and yellow haired girl yelled. Having his teeth glow a bright white, the Heavyweight Pokémon charged forward, taking a great leap toward his adversary. He managed to latch onto its front right leg with his teeth, swinging him down onto the sandy earth in a dust-filled explosion.

" _Wow!_ " the announcer exclaimed out of surprise through the microphone, while the crowd was just stunned by the sight, " _Hippowdon brings Metagross down in a hurry thanks to that Crunch!_ " he pointed out as the veil cleared to reveal both creatures still standing, with the metallic megalith losing the yellowish cloak over its form.

"Psyshock!" Alain demanded, throwing out his right fist. Another orb of purple energy formed in front his current teammate's face, releasing itself into several streaks of light that zoomed to his foe.

"Crunch!" the Omni Force member bellowed. Opening his mouth and having his teeth glow white again, the Ground type chomped down onto the lights, causing a burst of smoke to occur right there. Once it cleared moments later, it revealed him with steam emerging from his mouth, appearing to smirk.

"Nice!" Rainbow exclaimed with a pump of her fist.

"Go for it, Hippowdon!" Bonnie cheered, swinging her legs up and down in her seat. Meanwhile, the raven haired teen on the field just narrowed his eyes in contempt.

' _In that case…_ ' he began to himself, swinging his arms out.

"Use Meteor Mash!" he commanded. Lifting its front legs up and clanging them together, the Iron Leg Pokémon aimed them at its adversary, about to launch itself to him. Sunset just cracked a grin at that moment however, closing her hands into fists.

"Sand Tomb on his legs!" she called out. The hippo-like creature's eyes flashed a bright orange upon hearing the order, followed by the sand building up around his opponent, wrapping around his back legs and making him lose his balance, along with his aura, falling onto the earth.

"Metagross!" its master exclaimed out of shock, seeing that it was getting pulled into the surface as if it were quicksand.

"Now finish it with Bulldoze!" the former pony yelled, throwing out her right fist. Lifting his front legs up, the Heavyweight Pokémon slammed them against the ground, causing it to surge up towards his foe, striking him in a dust-filled explosion. When the veil finally cleared moments later, it revealed the Steel/Psychic type in a daze, having its eyes in swirls.

"Metagross is unable to battle!" the referee declared after examining the scene, raising his left arm into the air, "Hippowdon wins!" he added while gesturing towards the Ground type.

"POWWWW!" he bellowed upon hearing of his victory, while his former foe's image became greyed out within the blue hexagon on the big screen. The crowd broke out into a frenzy of cheers again, including the large group in the stands.

"Yes!" Tierno exclaimed, pumping his fist.

"Now they're tied again!" Trevor noted happily.

"Great going, Sunset!" Rainbow cried out while standing up, "Your Hippowdon's awesome!" she mentioned excitedly as everyone else was letting out their own sounds of jubilance.

" _Hippowdon downs Metagross and gets Sunset to a tie with Alain once again!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, while the latter trainer returned to teammate to its Poké Ball in a beam of red light, not saying a word as he reached down to his belt for another one, " _Now, how will Alain retaliate?!_ " he asked, while he enlarged a new containment, reeling his arm back.

"Go Weavile!" he called out, throwing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that came out spilled onto the ground, coming into form before dissipating to reveal the Sharp Claw Pokémon.

"Wee…" she uttered with a devious smirk, causing her future opponent to sweat a little as he readied himself. The image of the Ice/Dark type appeared within the large blue hexagon on the big screen, while her teammate's image went to the end of the line with Tyranitar's.

"Weavile, huh?" Erza inquired, placing her right hand upon her chin, "That's not a good matchup for Hippowdon," she noted, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"Yeah…" Gingka agreed, narrowing his eyes onto the field.

" _Alain has chosen Weavile as his third Pokémon!_ " the announcer declared through the microphone as the two future fighters stared each other down, " _How will Sunset respond to the change?!_ " he questioned loudly.

"Hippowdon, you okay to keep going?" the red and yellow haired girl asked her current team member.

"Pow!" he responded with a nod, breathing out steam from his nostrils.

"All right, Sand Tomb!" his trainer commanded. Letting his eyes glow orange again, the Heavyweight Pokémon let out a roar, causing the sand upon the ground to swirl up around his adversary, making her grimace in realization, glancing around for a way out.

"Double Team!" the raven haired teen called out to her.

"Vy!" she responded, flashing a bright white before several clones of herself appeared all around the area. Half of them managed to jump away, while the others were sucked into the earth, vanishing instantly.

"Now, Night Slash!" the scarf-wearing man ordered. The duplicates of the Sharp Claw Pokémon all reached for their left hands with their right ones, each pulling out a light purple energy blade. They dove down towards their enemy, who stood his ground.

"Crunch!" the former pony yelled, enticing him to have his teeth glow a bright white. He bit down onto his real foe's blade as the others suddenly disappeared, causing a small explosion to occur that blew them both back.

"Wee…" the Ice/Dark type grunted angrily, grimacing as she was also trying to endure the sandstorm.

"Since his Weavile's not a Rock, Ground, or Steel type," Clemont began to say, "the sandstorm's making her take damage…" he noted, pushing his glasses back up to his eyes.

"Even so," Mirajane chimed in, "I doubt he'd just bring her out for no good reason," she stated, closing her hands into fists over her dress. Her beloved had a serious expression upon his face, hoping for the best from his friend.

"Metal Claw!" Alain shouted, swinging his arms out. The bipedal, weasel-like creature had her claws glow a silvery white before a larger aura of the same shape encased her arms. She then lunged forward and slashed her opponent with her right extremity, sending him sliding back across the earth.

"DUUUNNNN!" he roared afterwards, appearing to be just fine.

"Bulldoze!" his master commanded. Hippowdon raised his front legs, slamming them against the surface and causing it to surge up towards his adversary.

"Dodge and use Ice Beam!" the raven haired teen cried out quickly. The Sharp Claw Pokémon leapt up and avoided the surging earth, grinning all the while. She then had a light blue ball of energy form in front of her mouth, followed by having it release several zigzag lines down at the Heavyweight Pokémon, who took them head on. Half of his body began to freeze up in ice, much to the shock of the group in the stands.

"Shoot!" Applejack exclaimed with clenched teeth, while Rarity and Pinkie watched on nervously.

" _And Weavile unleashes a powerful Ice Beam onto Hippowdon!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, " _That's a super effective blow!_ " he added as over half of the Ground type's body had been encased within ice.

"We're not done yet!" Sunset declared, "Hippowdon, use Rock Slide!" she commanded, making him open his eyes as his body glowed a bright blue, followed by sparks of orange electricity emanating from beneath him. More stones began to form above the stage out of the white lights that appeared, zooming down towards the Ice/Dark type.

"Look out!" her trainer yelled, enticing her to halt her attack, spinning around to try and evade the oncoming rocks. However, one clipped her on the left shoulder, allowing for the others to strike and pile over her as she crashed into the ground in a burst of dust.

"Puuhhoowww!" the hippo-like creature bellowed as the ice around him shattered.

"Vyyelll…" his opponent growled as she stood back up, getting into a ready stance.

"Sand Tomb!" the red and yellow haired girl ordered, swinging out right arm. Her teammate's eyes glowed a bright orange, as the sand beneath his foe began to swirl around, making her feet sink within it. She grimaced in realization, trying to free herself from its grip, but to no avail as her whole lower body disappeared into the surface.

"Ice Beam on the ground!" Alain shouted. She quickly formed a blue ball of energy in front of her mouth, aiming it at the sandy earth as it then launched several zigzag-like streaks onto the surface, making it freeze up into ice. A misty explosion occurred right then, shrouding her from view for the moment. Once the veil cleared, it revealed the Sharp Claw Pokémon still standing, smirking deviously despite the numerous scrapes upon her body.

"No way!" Rainbow gasped from the stands as everyone had their eyes widened at the sight.

"Now, Ice Beam!" the raven haired teen ordered, throwing out his right fist. Another blue ball of energy appeared before his team member's mouth, releasing zigzag lines that struck her foe in an instant upon the center of his head, making him freeze up into ice completely.

"H-Hippowdon!" Sunset stuttered out of disbelief.

"Finish him off with Night Slash!" the opposing trainer commanded. Pulling out another purple energy blade from her left hand, Weavile rushed forward, slashing by her opponent before letting her makeshift weapon disappear, grinning all the while. The ice the Heavyweight Pokémon was in shattered, followed by him keeling over onto his stomach.

"Hippowdon!" his master screamed, while the referee went over to assess the situation.

"Hippuhh…" the Ground type groaned in pain, having swirls in his eyes.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle!" the official stated, raising his right arm into the air, "Weavile wins!" he declared as the Sharp Claw Pokémon jumped back over to her trainer. The hippo-like creature's image upon the big screen became greyed out, followed by the crowd cheering wildly again.

" _Weavile pulls through with the third victory of the match for Alain!_ " the announcer exclaimed over the loudspeakers, as the former pony's eyes trembled at the sight of her fallen teammate, " _With Sunset having just three Pokémon remaining,_ " he continued, " _there will now be an intermission for a field change,_ " he explained to the crowd. The Omni Force member reluctantly took out her comrade's Poké Ball, returning him to it in a beam of red light.

"Thanks for the hard work, Hippowdon…" she said to it, putting it back onto her belt before clenching her teeth in frustration, as her hair veiled her face.

"Sunset…" Fluttershy uttered worriedly, while everyone else seemed just as concerned.

"Hey, why all the doom and gloom?" Shauna asked, catching the group's attention, "She might be down to just three Pokémon," she kept going, "but she could come back!" she stated with confidence in her tone.

"The problem's not that she's not in the lead," Applejack answered, folding her arms over her chest, "It's that the less Pokémon Sunset has to fight…" she started to explain.

"… the less likely she'll be able to beat that Charizard," Gingka finished, causing everyone to widen their eyes. Meanwhile, Ash just gritted his teeth, hoping for the best from his friend.

 **END**

 **Uh oh. Looks like Sunset's already in a tough spot. Then again, she wasn't planning to see three of Alain's other** **Pokémon before Charizard, so it's not unexpected…**

 **Nevertheless, let's wish her the best of luck as she's down to her last three!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Even with a small disadvantage in numbers, Sunset's still feeling the pressure of her opponent's strength. And when Alain finally brings out his Charizard, her strategy has already fallen apart to the point where she can only match him blow for blow. Can she and Lopunny defeat Charizard and move on to face Ash?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Root for Sunset, everyone! And be on the lookout for more story info to drop by soon!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **Your excitement never gets old, Ash.**_

 **Sunset Shimmer**

 **To Ash upon meeting him in "Tag Team Battle Inspiration!"**


	9. Sunset's Journey PART III

**Let'z go, everyone! We're at the climax of the Kalos League semi-finals, and it's time to really get rolling! Sunset and Alain's battle was something I'd been thinking about ever since I saw Ash V.S. Sawyer and… that very anti-climactic Ash V.S. Alain battle. Animation and music were brilliant! Story-wise, not so much. However, it's really time for people to see just how action-packed, angst-filled, and amazing a Kalos League battle can be!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

A drop of sweat dripped onto the pedestal Sunset Shimmer was standing upon as she breathed heavily. She looked over to see Alain Regulus' Weavile go over to him, allowing for the desert stage to sink back into the abyss of the arena of Lumiose Stadium.

" _Folks, it'll be a few moments before the next battlefield comes up,_ " the announcer stated through the microphone, " _We'll be back underway in just a bit!_ " he promised.

"This is really bad…" Rainbow Dash muttered from the stands, tightly griping her knees with her hands, "Sunset's down to her last three Pokémon…" she noted, "The _same_ three she used against me!" she added in exclamation.

"Staraptor, Empoleon, and Lopunny…" Mirajane Strauss listed off in remembrance, "All three of them are pretty strong…" she mentioned to the others.

"But at the same time," Erza Scarlet began, folding her arms over her chest, "she has to use the three of them in a way to take out _four_ of Alain's Pokémon," she explained, narrowing her eyes, "One of them being that Charizard…" she pointed out.

"Alain picked apart Sunset's strategy right from the start," Gingka Hagane chimed in, catching their attentions.

"Whaddaya mean?" Tierno asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Think about it," the beyblader suggested as a response, "Up to the semifinals, Alain had only used Charizard and no one else," he told them, "Who wouldn't revolve their strategy around him if they had nothing else to go off on?" he questioned rhetorically, causing them to gasp.

"So that must mean she was planning on using Trevenant to use Forest's Curse and change Charizard into a Grass type…" Trevor realized while putting his hand up to his chin.

"And that would be followed by sending in Pyroar," Clemont chimed in, "whose Fire type moves would not only do a lot of damage," he continued as he pushed his glasses back up to his eyes, "but she'd be okay to take any Fire type attacks from him…" he finished, closing his hands into fists.

"Even Hippowdon would've done a lot of damage with that Rock Slide of his," Serena added, becoming all the more worried.

"It's not over," Ash Ketchum suddenly stated, much to the group's surprise as they saw him stand up, holding up his right fist and pointing to the sky with his index finger, while having his thumb curved to his right, "Sunset!" he cried out loudly, "Don't give up!" he shouted to her, while the female competitor appeared to be unresponsive, "We're all watching out for you!" he declared.

"That's right," Erza agreed, getting off of her seat and performing the same action with her extremity, "You're a member of Fairy Tail, Sunset!" she bellowed as both Mirajane and Gingka stood as well, raising their hands up as well, "Don't you dare give up!" she yelled. Rainbow was stunned at the way they were supporting her, more so than the others, but then developed a serious expression upon her face.

"Yeah, come on!" she cheered, standing up and raising her hand to do the same gesture, "You got this!" she stated as loud as she could. Back on the pedestal, the former pony finally cracked a grin, letting her hair sway within the wind. She raised her right hand up and performed the same action as her guild mates, much to the surprise of her opponent as he recognized it from a certain raven haired boy.

"I'm not done yet, Alain!" she declared with a confident look in her eyes, "Let's keep going!" she suggested with a pump of her fist, causing him to blink out of astonishment.

' _This feeling…_ ' he inwardly uttered, remembering his bouts against the cap-wearing trainer and how they changed him, ' _I'm getting excited,_ ' he realized, smiling himself.

 **SUNSET'S JOURNEY PART III**

After a few more moments, a new stage began to rise out from the abyss of stadium, attaching itself to the two pedestals with a loud click. It was a rocky field with a river near the center that had a waterfall pouring down from a tall cliff.

" _The rock and water field is the second stage our competitors will be competing upon!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone, making the crowd cheer wildly. The well-dressed referee then stepped forward, glancing over at both battlers.

"Trainers, please select your Pokémon!" he advised politely.

"Weavile," the black haired teen said to his current teammate, enticing her to jump out onto the rocky earth.

"Wee!" she cried out excitedly, letting off a wide grin.

"I should've done this earlier…" Serena muttered, reaching into the pocket of her long vest and pulling out her Pokédex, having it open up and load before it finally revealed the creature upon its screen.

" _Weavile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon,_ " it stated in a feminine voice, " _Weavile live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination,_ " it explained, " _A Weavile carves patterns in trees with his or her claws as a signal to others,_ " it finished, while the red and yellow haired girl upon the stage took out a Poké Ball, inhaling a deep breath of air before reeling her arm back.

"Staraptor, go!" she called out, throwing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that came out from it formed in midair, dissipating to reveal the Predator Pokémon.

"Star!" he squawked, gliding overhead.

" _And Sunset selects Staraptor to take on Weavile!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, as the image of the Normal/Flying type appeared within the large red hexagon on the screen, while his teammates' pictures all were upon the line and greyed out, " _We'll be seeing a very intense battle, folks!_ " he added as the crowd watched in anticipation.

"Staraptor?" Fluttershy uttered in confusion, developing a worried look upon her face, "Why isn't she sending in Empoleon?" she asked her friends.

"I haven't the foggiest idea, darling…" Rarity replied, folding her arms over her chest.

"Maybe Sunset's trying to fight a battle with speed over type advantage…" Clemont suggested with narrowed eyes, catching the attentions of the ones sitting near him.

"At any rate," Erza began to say, "let's hope her plan works…" she stated, making everyone around nod in agreement.

"Staraptor, Steel Wing!" the former pony commanded, sticking her right arm out.

"Stah!" her current teammate responded, folding his wings inward and making them glow a bright white before spreading them out, diving down at his foe.

"Double Team!" Alain called out. The Ice/Dark type then flashed a bright white and had several clones of herself appear around the area. Her opponent zoomed into one, causing it to burst into nothing but smoke.

"Star?!" he squawked in surprise.

"Now Ice Beam!" the raven haired teen bellowed. Forming a blue ball of energy in front of her mouth, the weasel-like creature unleashed several zigzag lines towards her flying enemy, who quickly evaded them as they struck parts of the battlefield, freezing them into ice.

"Two can play at your game…" the Omni Force member grumbled, closing her hands into fists, "Use Double Team!" she yelled. Flashing a bright white, the Predator Pokémon had several duplicates appear around him, much to the shock of his adversary as they all split up in different directions, confusing her and her own multiples.

"Stay on guard!" her master advised seriously.

"Aerial Ace!" Sunset ordered loudly. Having his beak glow a bright blue, the hawk-like creature zoomed down towards his foe, slamming into her with all of his might head on, causing her to be sent flying into the river with a splash, while all of her clones disappeared.

" _Wow!_ " the announcer exclaimed into the microphone with excitement in his voice, " _Staraptor wastes no time and attacks Weavile ferociously!_ " he screamed as the crowd became whipped into a frenzy.

"Impressive…" Professor Sycamore complimented from the V.I.P. section, catching Diantha's attention, "Both of them are really strong trainers," he added, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yes," the champion agreed as she nodded, "I can feel the passion emerging from the both of them," she told him, while he narrowed his eyes toward his former pupil.

' _Alain… you became this strong?_ ' he questioned to himself, wondering what exactly had happened to him over the time he had been gone. Meanwhile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon emerged from the water, breathing heavily as she was completely soaked.

"Now use Steel Wing!" the red and yellow haired girl commanded, swinging her arms out. Having his wings glow a bright white once again, the Normal/Flying type dove towards his foe rapidly.

"Counter with Metal Claw!" Alain shouted. Standing up firmly, the Ice/Dark type had her claws glow in a silvery white light, followed by the aura enlarging over her arms. She lunged out and threw both of them at her opponent, while he swung his right wing to intercept them, making sparks fly all over the place. They stayed in a deadlock for a moment before blowing each other back, with the weasel-like creature landing upon the ground.

"We're not done yet!" the former pony declared, pumping her fists, "Close Combat!" she demanded. Soaring down once again, the Predator Pokémon stopped himself right in front his adversary, much to her surprise as she saw him reel his right talon back before slamming it into her chest, sending her sliding back across the earth. He then rushed in and began attacking her over and over by using his wings and talons to strike, making her grimace out of agony.

" _What a barrage from Staraptor!_ " the announcer bellowed over the loudspeakers, " _With such quick strikes, I don't know how Weavile can take it!_ " he mentioned as the one being attacked slammed down onto the ground in a dust-filled explosion.

"Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed from the stands, getting up from her seat.

"To think that Sunset taught Staraptor how to use Close Combat…" Sawyer mentioned while looking down at the field in awe, "She really thought ahead," he noted.

"Yeah," his rival agreed, catching his attention, "And a Pokémon like Weavile won't be able to handle all that for long," he added confidently.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked with a nod.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Gingka chimed in, much to the group's surprise as they all glanced over at him.

"Whatever do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked while arching an eyebrow.

"Close Combat's a powerful Fighting type move, sure," the beyblader began in response, "but it could be a double-edged sword if it doesn't work…" he stated, causing the raven haired boy beside him to gasp in realization, looking back down at the field.

"Wee…" the Sharp Claw Pokémon grunted as she managed to stand back up, breathing quite heavily.

"Let's settle this!" the red and yellow haired girl yelled, "Steel Wing!" she commanded, throwing her arm up into the air. Having his wings glow a bright white, the hawk-like creature spread them out and zoomed down, prepared to attack.

"Weavile, Ice Beam!" Alain ordered quickly. Forming another blue ball of energy in front of her mouth, the Ice/Dark type unleashed several zigzag lines from it to her enemy. With no time to evade them, the Predator Pokémon crossed his wings over his face to block them.

"Staahhh…!" he grunted before being pushed back down by the attack, losing the glow in his wings as he glided just over the river.

"You okay, Staraptor?" his master asked out of concern.

"Raahhp!" he squawked in reply with a nod, flapping his wings to stay airborne.

"Okay, Aerial Ace!" the former pony bellowed, enticing him to dash forward and have his beak glow a bright blue.

"Night Slash!" the scarf-wearing teen commanded. The weasel-like creature pulled out a purple energy blade from her left hand, jumping up and intercepting her foe. Sparks flew wildly as the two fighters didn't give their respective opponents an inch, not wanting to give in easily. All of a sudden, the Normal/Flying type was blown away, splashing into the river, much to the shock of everyone in the stadium.

"Staraptor!" Sunset screamed in fright.

"Freeze it up!" the raven haired trainer demanded, "Ice Beam!" he shouted, throwing out his right fist. Leaping up and forming another ball of energy in front of her mouth, his current teammate shot more zigzag lines towards the water. Upon contact, they froze it into solid ice, which shattered moments later in a misty explosion.

"Ergh!" the Omni Force member grunted, trying to endure the force of the blast. As the veil cleared, it revealed Weavile landing upon the ground and still breathing heavily from her bouts. However, her adversary was nowhere in sight until something surfaced up from the river. It was the Predator Pokémon, who was moaning out of agony, while swirls were in his eyes.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!" the referee stated after observing the scene, raising his right arm into the air, "Weavile wins!" he declared while gesturing towards the Ice/Dark type.

"Vyyell!" she exclaimed delightedly, despite the numerous amount of scrapes upon her body. The crowd roared in excitement as the hawk-like creature's picture upon the big screen became greyed out.

" _My goodness!_ " the announcer's voice boomed through the microphone, while the red and yellow haired girl was completely stunned, " _Weavile pulls through with another big win for Alain by taking down Staraptor!_ " he shouted.

"Oh no…" Pinkie uttered out of disbelief, while the others beside just had their eyes widened at the sight.

"Staraptor's Close Combat might've been pretty powerful," Sawyer started to say, "but once it's used, it lowered his defense and special defense…" he explained, narrowing his eyes onto the field.

"Pika…" Pikachu said worriedly, while his master had a frustrated look on his face, still hoping for the best from his Omni Force teammate on the stage. She took out her fallen partner's Poké Ball, returning him to it in a beam of red light.

"Sorry, Staraptor…" she apologized despondently, clutching the containment tightly in her hand, "I should've known better than to be reckless there…" she admitted, putting it away. Her body began trembling as her teeth were clenched, feeling as if she was completely helpless at the moment. She started remembering all the points of her journey where she had met her Pokémon, along with interacting and battling alongside her friends. However, the one person whom she had yet to battle was the raven haired boy in the stands. She recalled the time they had first met, seeing how friendly he was towards her, even when he had heard of her past. He had accepted her as a person who turned a new leaf and made her feel all the more better about having such a great friend.

' _I… want to thank him…_ ' she inwardly stated, letting a few tears streak down her cheeks, while her eyes remained shut, ' _He made me feel like the person I am now…_ ' she added to herself, reaching down to her belt and pulling out another Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button, ' _And what better way to thank him…_ ' she continued as she reeled her arm back, ' _than to meet him in the finals!_ ' she declared through thought, opening her tear-filled eyes to reveal a newfound fierceness in them.

"Empoleon!" she called out, throwing the spherical container into the air and letting it pop open. The light that came out from it spilled onto the ground, forming and dissipating to reveal the Emperor Pokémon.

"POHHHLLL!" he screeched upon entering the arena. His image appeared within the large red hexagon upon the big screen, while his teammate's picture went down to the end of the line with the others who had also fallen.

" _Sunset sends out Empoleon to take on Weavile!_ " the announcer exclaimed over the loudspeakers, " _How is Alain going to respond?!_ " he asked loudly.

"Weavile, get ready," the scarf-wearing teen on the field advised to his current team member.

"Wee!" she responded, getting into a ready stance.

"Looks like he's stickin' through with that Weavile of his…" Applejack noted, folding her arms over her chest.

"Forget that!" Rainbow yelled to catch their attentions, "Just look at Sunset!" she shouted, gesturing towards the field before turning back to see it, "She's already down to her last two Pokémon," she pointed out, "and her strategy's been totally wrecked!" she stated in frustration, gritting her teeth.

"Rainbow…" Fluttershy uttered worriedly.

"She can do it," Ash's voice suddenly chimed in confidently, causing everyone to look over at him in surprise, "I know she won't give up without a fight," he added, clenching his fists tightly over his knees. Everyone nodded in agreement, letting off grins. Even the rainbow haired athlete had to smile at his encouraging words. Back on the field, the Water/Steel type glanced up at the large screen to see the current status of the battle. His eyes widened upon seeing the score, followed by looking back at his trainer, surprised to see the tears in her own.

"Don't worry about me, Empoleon…" she advised, making him blink out of astonishment as she rubbed her eyes, "We're gonna pull through this," she stated seriously, closing her hands into fists.

"Em," he concurred with a chirp, nodding before turning to face his foe, who grinned deviously.

"Weavile, Night Slash!" the raven haired teen commanded. Pulling out another purple blade of energy from her left hand, the Sharp Claw Pokémon dashed forward, prepared to attack.

"Counter with Drill Peck!" the former pony cried out, swinging her right arm to the side. Having his beak glow a bright white, the penguin-like creature leapt up and began spinning rapidly, zooming at his opponent. The two collided just above the river, making the water splash wildly as neither of them back down an inch. They then blew each other back, landing upon the earth and sliding across it.

"Use Ice Beam!" Alain ordered loudly.

"Aqua Jet!" Sunset shouted. Forming another blue ball of energy in front of her mouth, the Ice/Dark type unleashed several zigzag lines to her enemy, who let off a smirk. His body became encased in water before he rocketed up within it to dodge the attack, also evading more that went his way. He then dove down and slammed into the weasel-like creature's chest, causing her to cringe as he took her up into the air before losing his watery veil, stopping his attack as they glared at each other from just a foot apart.

"Metal Claw!" both of their trainers commanded. Having a silvery white aura encase their arm-like appendages and overshadow them, the two fighters swung their right ones out, intercepting one another as sparks flew all across the field. They remained in a deadlock before Empoleon finally managed to throw his adversary down to the ground, as a burst of dust followed upon her impact. He landed safely back on the ground, seeing the veil clear to reveal his enemy lying down in a daze, having swirls in her eyes.

"Wee…" she groaned in pain, while the referee went over to assess the result.

"Weavile is unable to battle!" he yelled after a moment, raising his left arm into the air, "Empoleon wins!" he declared, gesturing to the Emperor Pokémon.

"Pohl!" he squawked happily as his master let off a grin. The crowd cheered wildly, seeing the fallen creature's image within the large blue hexagon had been greyed out.

" _Empoleon comes through in the clutch with a quick win over Weavile!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, making the crowd cheer wildly.

"Yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly, standing up from her seat once again.

"Way to go, Sunset!" Tierno cried out, while both Shauna and Trevor cheered as well.

"Now there's three left for her to beat…" Erza noted as she folded her arms underneath her chest seriously, "And one of them is that Charizard…" she added, narrowing her eyes.

"I think it's all right now," Mirajane chimed in, catching her attention as she glanced over at her, "Sunset's got her confidence back," she stated, much to her guild mate's surprise before she nodded in agreement.

"Great work, Empoleon!" the red and yellow haired girl complimented to her current teammate, "Let's keep up the pressure!" she advised with a clenched right fist.

"Em!" he concurred in reply, readying his fins. Meanwhile, the opposing trainer returned the Sharp Claw Pokémon to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light, putting it back onto his belt soon afterwards. He glanced out at the Water/Steel type, seeing the determined expression in his eyes.

' _I guess it's time,_ ' he inwardly realized, grinning as he grabbed another container and enlarged it by pressing its center button. The former pony maintained a stoic expression as she saw him reeling his arm back.

"Charizard, go!" he called out, throwing the spherical containment up into the air and letting it pop open. The light that spilled forth from formed in midair, dissipating to reveal the Flame Pokémon.

"RRROOOAAAHHHH!" he roared, flapping his large wings before soaring around the stage, as his image appeared within the large blue hexagon upon the big screen, while Weavile's picture went to the end of the line with the others. He flew around for a bit before finally landing down in front of his master, as the crowd awed the sight of him.

" _Alain decides to bring out his Charizard to battle Empoleon!_ " the announcer yelled through the microphone, " _It looks like we're about to see an intense fight unfold!_ " he added excitedly.

"Poll…" the penguin-like creature growled, prepared to go up against the formidable opponent ahead of him.

 **X**

"So it's finally Charizard, huh?" Sunset guessed, clenching her fists tightly as she viewed the Fire/Flying type, while drops of sweat fell down from her head.

"Alain was waiting for this," Gingka said back in the stands, catching everyone's attention as they all glanced over at him in surprise.

"Whaddaya mean?" Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow and tilting her head to the side.

"He wanted to knock out some of Sunset's Pokémon to a point where he'd feel comfortable bringing Charizard in," the beyblader explained in response, folding his arms over his chest.

"But… Empoleon's a Water type!" Pinkie chimed in reassuringly, "A Fire type like Charizard is _pretty_ much toast," she added confidently.

"Absolutely, darling," Rarity agreed, "If he wanted to battle Empoleon," she continued while having everyone else listen, "he would've selected a Pokémon that would have a better matchup," she pointed out, gesturing towards the field.

"Unless Charizard was the best matchup that he had left…" Clemont replied, much to the surprise of both Canterlot High students, "If he was considering type advantage _and_ strength," he kept going, remembering the bouts where the dragon-like creature had won despite type disadvantages, "then it's guaranteed Charizard would be the best one for him to use," he stated, pushing his glasses back up to his eyes.

"But then… why didn't he just go with Charizard in the first place?" Shauna asked with a concerned expression.

"Because it's a full battle against six Pokémon," Tierno responded beside her, "No matter how strong that Charizard is," he continued while narrowing his eyes onto the field, "going up against six Pokémon without a break would tire out anyone," he told them, "let alone beat them all," he mentioned as he folded his arms over his chest.

"And Sunset's strategy probably would've worked if Alain had started with Charizard," Erza chimed in, becoming all the more nervous for her friend down below.

"Now it's come down to fighting just to stay in the game…" Mirajane added anxiously. Ash just clenched his teeth out of worry, hoping for the best from his Omni Force teammate.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered as a concerned expression came across his face.

" _Charizard has dominated the Kalos League in all of Alain's battles up to this point!_ " the announcer mentioned over the microphone as the future fighters upon the stage stared each other down, " _Will he manage to defeat the last two of Sunset's Pokémon?!_ " he asked loudly.

"Empoleon, let's keep up the pressure!" the red and yellow haired girl called out, swinging her left arm out, "Use Aqua Jet!" she commanded.

"Pohl!" he responded in a squawk, immersing himself within a watery veil before jumping up and rocketing towards his lone enemy.

"Charizard, Thunder Punch!" the raven haired teen ordered. The Flame Pokémon closed his right hand into a fist, encasing it within an orb of yellow electricity, swinging it out and intercepting his foe as sparks flew all across the field. They remained in a deadlock for a moment until their respective auras disappeared, with mere drops of water floating in between them for a split second.

"Drill Peck!" the former pony yelled with clenched fists. Having his beak glow a bright white, the Water/Steel type arched himself forward and span around, about to slam into his target ferociously.

"Dodge it!" the scarf-wearing trainer shouted, enticing his partner to fly up and avoid the attempted attack as his adversary struck nothing but the ground in a dust-filled explosion, "Now Flamethrower!" he demanded. Puffing his chest out, the dragon-like creature breathed out a torrent of flames at the veil of dirt.

"Aqua Jet!" the Canterlot High student cried out quickly. Immersing himself in water once more, the Emperor Pokémon rocketed upwards, avoiding the flames and zooming towards his opponent.

"Use Dragon Claw!" Alain commanded. The Fire/Flying type had a green, claw-like aura appear over his right hand, swinging it out to stop his oncoming enemy, blowing the both of them back before they landed on the ground. "Dragon Claw!" his master exclaimed again.

"Metal Claw!" Sunset ordered simultaneously. Charizard had the green, claw-like aura encase both of his hands, while his opponent had a silvery white aura appear over both of his fins, dashing towards him. The two collided their attacks as they splashed into the river, with the Flame Pokémon managing to avoid getting the fire on his tail wet.

" _My, oh my!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers as the two beings continued to clash in the water, making waves fly all around them, " _This bout is turning into quite the fierce brawl!_ " he yelled, while the fighters let out their respective cries, blowing each other back once more after attempting to strike fiercely.

"Thunder Punch!" the raven haired teen demanded, throwing out his right fist. Closing his own extremity and somersaulting in the air, his partner had it covered in yellow electricity, hitting his foe with it directly in his face, sending him sliding back to the very edge of the river.

"Hang in there, Empoleon!" his owner advised reassuringly, "Metal Claw!" she commanded loudly. The Water/Steel type let the aura around his fins build up, jumping at his enemy and throwing out his right one, striking him on the shoulder. He landed down upon the earth and slid across it, grimacing slightly.

"RRROOOAAAGGHH!" he roared angrily as his tail flame began burning brighter.

"POHHHLLL!" his opponent screeched in response, getting back upon solid ground. They glared at each other, while their respective masters did the same, as the crowd cheered wildly.

"Whoa…" Trevor uttered in amazement from the stands as his eyes trembled, "I… can't believe how strong that Charizard is…" he confessed, clutching his knees tightly.

"Neither can any of us," Rainbow added, folding her arms over her chest, "No one's been able to keep up with him…" she mentioned as sweat dripped down from her head, "but that's all about to change," she stated confidently with a grin.

"Drill Peck!" the red and yellow haired girl screamed. The Emperor Pokémon had his beak glow a bright white before spinning forward, spiraling towards his foe.

"Flamethrower!" Alain shouted with clenched fists. Arching his head back, his partner threw it out and suddenly unleashed another fiery torrent from his mouth. His opponent flew into it head on, grunting as he was slow to try and break through the flames. Without warning though, he zoomed through, about to strike his adversary fiercely. "Dodge it!" the scarf-wearing trainer called out, enticing his teammate to quickly fly up and avoid the attack, "Flamethrower, once more!" he yelled. Reeling his head back once again, the Fire/Flying type breathed another spew of flames down towards his enemy, who had stopped after landing upon the ground.

"Aqua Jet!" Sunset exclaimed while swinging out her right arm. Encasing himself within a watery veil once again, Empoleon rocketed upwards, avoiding the torrent of fire as it struck the ground in an explosion of smoke and dust.

"After him!" the raven haired teen demanded. The dragon-like creature flapped his wings before soaring after his foe, catching his attention as he saw another torrent of flames coming towards him from his mouth. He immediately evaded, zooming all over the arena as his master below grimaced, worried about him getting struck. All of a sudden, she saw Charizard's flaming torrent strike the river upon missing, causing steam to billow up and shroud the area. She widened her eyes in surprise, developing a serious expression soon afterwards.

"Empoleon!" she cried out to her current team member, making him perk up and look over at her while still avoiding the oncoming fire, "Dive down towards the river and go upstream!" she instructed loudly, much to his surprise as he blinked. However, he took notice of the steam emerging from the body of water, grinning in realization.

"Pohl, eon!" he squawked in response, doing as told and zooming down towards the river, while his opponent watched on in confusion.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain commanded with clenched fists. The Flame Pokémon breathed out another spew of flames downwards, coming into contact with the liquid below as his adversary skillfully evaded them, going into the waterfall veiled by the following steam.

"Whoa, what?" Rainbow uttered in confusion, blinking rapidly at the sight.

" _Oh my!_ " the announcer exclaimed over the microphone, " _Have Charizard's flames burned out Empoleon?!_ " he asked hysterically. All of a sudden, a glint of light was spotted within the cloud, making the flying being and his master gasp in surprise, seeing their foe rocket out from it, still encased in water.

"GO!" Sunset screamed. Her teammate rammed into his opponent directly in his torso, causing him to grimace in agony as he was taken high up into the sky.

"Charizard!" the scarf-wearing trainer cried out, evidently frightened by the unexpected attack.

"All right!" Ash cheered as he pumped his fist, while the others gasped in shock at the sight. The watery veil shrouding the Emperor Pokémon broke apart into droplets, while his enemy began plummeting towards the ground, evidently in agony from the blow he had taken.

"Now, Hydro Cannon!" the red and yellow haired girl ordered. Turning himself around, the Water/Steel type opened his mouth and launched a large orb of watery energy down at the dragon-like creature, who widened his eyes upon seeing it coming.

"Counter it with Flamethrower!" his owner yelled quickly. His partner shot out another spew of flames from his mouth, coming into contact with the giant sphere of water as steam emitted from it afterwards. However, little by little, the orb continued its path through the fire until it finally made it dissipate, allowing for it to strike its target directly on the head.

"Raagghh…!" he groaned in pain, spiraling down before slamming into the ground. The penguin-like creature landed upon the earth seconds later, standing before his trainer.

"PPOHHLLLL!" he screeched loudly, making the crowd cheer wildly.

"Amazing!" Sawyer complimented with sparkling eyes of admiration, as everyone around was absolutely amazed.

"Empoleon's so cool!" Bonnie added excitedly.

"Day, ne nay!" Dedenne agreed, poking out from the little girl's purse.

"Even if it's Alain's Charizard down there…" Erza began to say, grinning widely herself, "there's no way he could handle super effective moves like that," she stated confidently. However, the beyblader beside had a nervous expression upon his face, as he recalled how durable the Flame Pokémon was when he had battled against him.

" _WOW!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, " _Did Empoleon manage to bring Charizard down in one fell swoop?!_ " he asked loudly, while the veil on the field had yet to clear. The Water/Steel type looked on anxiously, keeping himself prepared for whatever was to come next. A gust of wind then rushed by, blowing the dust away to reveal his opponent still standing, but had his hands upon his knees while breathing heavily. Scrapes were apparent all over his body before he glanced back at his enemy, glaring at him angrily.

"No way…" Shauna uttered from the stands as her eyes trembled, "Even after all those attacks…" she started to say.

"Charizard's still standing?!" Rainbow exclaimed in absolute shock. Everyone around was admittedly just as stunned, wondering just how powerful the dragon-like creature actually was. Even Professor Sycamore and Diantha couldn't help but have their eyes widen at the spectacle of him getting back up.

"Let's go, Charizard!" his trainer called out with a newfound fierceness in his eyes, "Blast Burn!" he ordered, slamming his right fist against the floor beneath him.

"RRRAAAAAGGGHHH!" the Flame Pokémon roared as a fiery, orange aura enveloped his form, turning around to face his adversary.

"Here it comes!" Sunset yelled quickly, "Empoleon, be ready!" she advised to her teammate.

"Em!" he squawked in response, crossing his flippers over his face. Closing his hands into fists, the Fire/Flying type slammed them against the ground, making it crack up as orange lights emerged from beneath it. The water in the river bubbled wildly and began steaming once the luminosity reached it. Once it made its way to the penguin-like creature, he grimaced, knowing that the blow he was about to take would be great. A huge blast erupted beneath him as the earth broke apart, followed by a burst of smoke that rushed throughout the area.

"Ergh!" the red and yellow haired girl grunted as the force of the explosion blew by, enticing her to cross her arms over her face. Everyone in the crowd was astonished by the sight, seeing the veil begin to dissipate within the air. When it finally vanished, it revealed the Emperor Pokémon with burn marks all across his flippers and body, as steam emitted from his form. He had his teeth clenched in agony, trying to endure the pain he had just suffered. Unfortunately, he fell backwards onto the ground with a thud, having swirls in his eyes. "Empoleon!" his trainer screamed out of shock.

"Empoleon is unable to battle!" the referee stated after a moment to examine the scene, raising his right arm into the air, "Charizard wins!" he declared while gesturing towards the dragon-like creature.

"Roagh!" he roared, breathing out fire excitedly. His trainer wiped the sweat off from his face, evidently worn out from the intensity of the battle that he wasn't expecting.

"Empoleon, return," the former said, recalling the Water/Steel type to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Sorry 'bout that," she apologized to it afterwards, "You almost had him there," she added with a smile, turning her expression into a serious one seconds later.

" _Charizard manages to hold on and deal a powerful blow to take out Empoleon!_ " the announcer yelled over the loudspeakers as the crowd was still cheering, " _That brings Sunset down to her final Pokémon!_ " he added, while the fallen being's image was greyed out within the large red hexagon on the screen.

"AGH!" Rainbow shouted out of frustration in the stands, much to the surprise those sitting beside her and those from afar, "This is _really_ not good!" she yelled, clenching her teeth out of anger while trembling.

"C-Calm down, Rainbow…" Fluttershy advised nervously with a stutter, holding out her hands in a placating manner.

"Sunset's sure in a tough spot…" Applejack admitted, biting her thumb, "Ah wouldn't be in her position right now…" she mentioned with narrowed eyes.

"Nor would I," Rarity concurred, "Seeing her being beaten like this is… brutal to watch…" she stated, placing both of her hands over her chest.

"She came back with just one Pokémon left last time," Bonnie pointed out, getting their attentions, "Isn't that right, big bro?" she asked her sibling, who nodded.

"Even so," he began to say, pushing his glasses back to his eyes, "this isn't just any ordinary Pokémon she's going up against now," he told the group.

"Charizard already took a lotta damage earlier," Tierno chimed in with crossed arms, "so even if he Mega Evolves, Sunset can beat him in no time flat," he stated confidently.

"Still…" Shauna uttered, making him perk up, "once she beats Charizard, she'll have to deal with _two_ more of his Pokémon!" she exclaimed with a worried look in her eyes, "That's really not good considering how tough Charizard's been…" she mentioned, trembling herself.

"Will she be all right?" Sawyer asked nervously.

"I hope so…" his rival responded, clenching his fists over his knees.

"Pika…" Pikachu squeaked out of concern. Taking out one final Poké Ball from her belt, the red and yellow haired girl took a deep breath of air into her nose and exhaled through her mouth.

' _It's up to you,_ ' she stated to the containment, enlarging it by pressing its center button before reeling her arm back.

"Lopunny, go!" she called out, launching it into the air. It span around and opened, and the luminosity that came out poured onto the ground, coming into form and dissipating to reveal the Rabbit Pokémon.

"Lah!" she said with a determined look in her eyes.

" _And Lopunny finally makes her appearance!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone, making the crowd go into a frenzy of cheers, " _Folks, we're about to see an even MORE epic battle greater than I can say!_ " he stated loudly. The Normal type glanced over at the large screen, noticing the current score with widened eyes.

"L-Lah…" she stammered in disbelief, noticing how her fellow five teammates had fallen, while her image appeared within the large red hexagon, moving Empoleon's to the end of the line.

"Lopunny, don't be scared!" her trainer advised, catching her attention as she glanced back at her, "I'm right here with you!" she reassured while closing her right hand into a fist.

"Puh!" she squeaked in reply soon afterwards, looking back at her future foe, who breathed out a puff of fire from his mouth.

"Run at him, Lopunny!" the former pony cried out, swinging her arm out. Her partner dashed forward upon the order, heading for her opponent.

"Charizard, go!" Alain yelled, enticing his current team member to fly up and lunge at his enemy quickly, "Flamethrower!" he commanded. Puffing his chest out, the Flame Pokémon breathed out another torrent of fire to the bipedal, bunny-like creature.

"Dodge it!" Sunset shouted. Hopping back in an instant, her teammate evaded the flames as they struck the river before her, creating a huge cloud of steam. "Now, High Jump Kick!" she commanded with clenched fists. The Rabbit Pokémon had her legs glow a bright white before leaping into the cloud, as her adversary was starting to soar towards it.

"Dragon Claw!" the raven haired trainer ordered, making him develop a green, claw-like aura over his hands, swinging the right one out to intercept his enemy's leg in a burst of wind, blowing the veil of steam away instantly. They then blew themselves back, landing onto the ground and staring at each other with serious expressions.

" _My oh my, folks!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the microphone, " _These two are fighting like there's no tomorrow for either of them!_ " he stated, making the crowd cheer wildly.

"RRROOOAAAAAHHH!" the dragon-like creature roared into the air.

"Lah, la puh!" Lopunny yelled to her master, holding the pendant upon her necklace in her right hand.

"Yeah," the former pony concurred with a nod, grasping her jacket, "It's time to get serious," she declared quietly as she threw her article of clothing off of herself, letting it plop down behind her. She then reached into her shirt, pulling out her necklace with the Key Stone within its pendant, closing her right hand over it, causing yellow lights to suddenly streak out from it. "Let's do this, Lopunny!" she called out, "Mega Evolve!" she bellowed, while cream-colored lights began streaming out from her partner's Lopunnite, connecting with those of the other solid's, turning a bright white. All of a sudden, her body glowed in a multicolored luminosity, followed by parts of her form beginning to change. The tufts of fur above her eyes combined to form a single butterfly-shaped crest, and the cream fur on its wrists and ankles became more round instead of fluff. However, the rest of its lower leg fur was seemingly disappearing, while her ear fur now began to only cover two segments of each ear in fluffy bands. When the luminosity around her vanished, it revealed that the fur on her neck, upper torso, fingers, and legs blackened, forming a pattern on the legs that resembled ripped pantyhose.

"LLAAAHHH!" she screamed into the air after her transformation was completed, punching and kicking around herself in an excited manner.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered with a huge grin, as the rest of her classmates were watching in anticipation to see how the battle would unfold, including those among them. Even Alain had to smile upon seeing the morphed Normal/Fighting type, crossing his left arm over his chest.

' _It's time,_ ' he inwardly decided, using his right index and middle fingers to tap the Key Stone upon his Mega Ring.

"Respond to my heart, Key Stone!" he shouted, letting a multitude of yellow lights streak out from it, "Beyond evolution!" he added while swinging his arm up, "Mega Evolve!" he commanded. Blue streams of luminosity emerged from his partner's Charizardite as he roared, having them connect with those from his master's solid, becoming a bright white. A multicolored aura shrouded him as his body began to morph, becoming more physically fit, even though his arms remained thin. His skin was turning black with a sky blue underside extending from the lower jaw to the tip of the tail. Two spikes with blue tips curved upward from the front and back of each shoulder, while the tips of his horns sharpened, turning blue, and arching slightly upward. His brow and claws became larger, his snout was shorter, and his eyes were now red with white pupils. He also gained two small, fin-like spikes under each horn and two more down his lower neck. The lower trims of his wings were divided into large, rounded points and each third joint was adorned with a claw-like spike. As the multicolored light left his body, he roared loudly into the air while a burst of wind blew out upon the completion of his transformation, breezing strongly past Pidgeot and his trainer, making them flinch. The now morphed Fire/Dragon type breathed blue flames out from the sides of his mouth, and the flame on his tail now burned blue with increased heat.

" _Both Lopunny and Charizard have Mega Evolved!_ " the announcer yelled over the loudspeakers, " _This may just be the climax of the semifinals!_ " he mentioned, while the two transformed fighters stared each other down.

 **X**

"Lopunny, Ice Punch!" Sunset ordered as she closed her hands into fists. Her partner leapt up, somersaulting before having her right extremity become encased within an icy blue aura, diving down at her foe.

"Flamethrower!" the raven haired trainer bellowed, enticing his partner to puff his chest out and breathe out a torrent blue flames from his mouth to the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon.

"LAH PUH!" she exclaimed, striking the fire with her glowing fist, causing it to dissipate within a steam-filled explosion.

"High Jump Kick!" her master demanded.

"Use Dragon Claw!" Alain shouted. Making her legs glow a bright white, the morphed Normal/Fighting type landed into the river with a splash, lunging out with her right foot aimed forwards. Meanwhile, her adversary had a green, claw-like aura envelop his hands, dashing out with a roar and intercepting his enemy's leg in a huge burst of air, blowing the veil of steam away instantly. The two glared into each other's eyes with fierceness before attempting to strike again, countering their respective attacks as sparks flew all across the earth. The Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon then tried to swing his right arm down onto his opponent, but she noticed just in time, jumping away and somersaulting before landing back on the other side of the river.

"Now, Focus Blast!" the former pony yelled, pumping her fists. The bunny-like creature formed a yellow orb of energy upon her hands, reeling it back before launching it towards her foe.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" the scarf-wearing teen called out. His partner spewed out another blue torrent of fire, coming into contact with the energy sphere, causing it to explode into a cloud of black smoke.

"Follow up with High Jump Kick!" Sunset screamed loudly. All of sudden, the cloud of smoke broke apart as Lopunny leapt through it, having her right leg glow white while striking the morphed Fire/Dragon type in the torso, sending him sliding back several yards.

"Atta' girl!" Applejack cried out from the stands, while everyone kept on watching with anxious expressions upon their faces.

"Use Thunder Punch!" Alain commanded, swinging his left arm out. The dragon-like creature had orbs of yellow electricity encase both of his hands, lunging forward to attack his adversary.

"Ice Punch!" the red and yellow haired girl bellowed immediately. An icy blue aura covered both of the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon's clenched extremities as she leapt out and countered her foe's attack with her own. They kept on intercepting their punches, making sparks fly all over the field. Charizard tried to hit her right in the face, but she span around counter-clockwise, reeling her arm back and successfully pounding him in his chest, making him grimace. She then successively struck him with quick punches, making small puffs of mist emerge from each target she hit.

"LAH… PUN!" she screeched, throwing out her fist and knocking him back with one more hit.

"Ragh…" he grunted in agony, stumbling back a little. His trainer was absolutely appalled by the fierceness the morphed Normal/Fighting type was showing, noticing the determined expression in her master's eyes as well.

" _My goodness!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, " _Lopunny is giving Charizard a run for his money with a relentless barrage of attacks!_ " he yelled loudly, " _What an offensive display!_ " he added in excitement. The raven haired adolescent had his fists tremble, developing a wider smile across his lips.

' _This feeling…_ ' he uttered to himself, remembering how the same kind of intensity had excited him before.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" he ordered. Flying up, the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon released another plume of blue flames from his mouth towards his opponent.

"Dodge it!" Sunset cried out, enticing her partner to hop away from the oncoming fire, dashing towards the waterfall side of the stage. She began jumping up the facing of the cliff, avoiding the blue flames in the meantime as they caused the rock to explode in a burst of black smoke.

"After her!" the scarf-wearing teen demanded fiercely. His partner soared up, flapping his wings to remain airborne while observing the blackened veil, searching for his foe.

"High Jump Kick!" the former pony commanded. All of a sudden, the bunny-like creature zoomed out of the smoke cloud, much to her opponent's surprise as she kicked him on the head with her glowing right leg, sending him hurdling down to the ground. He crashed against it in a flurry of dust, while she came back down just fine, getting back into a ready stance. Once the veil cleared, it revealed him lying on his back, groaning in pain as he slowly got back up.

"Still not down, huh?" Gingka guessed, clenching his teeth out of frustration, as Erza did the same.

"That Charizard is seriously too tough…" Tierno noted while arching an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest.

"But he's definitely feeling the effects from battling _both_ Lopunny and Empoleon back-to-back," Clemont stated with a confident look in his eyes.

"Lopunny can do it," Ash added, narrowing his eyes onto the field, "I _know_ she can," he mentioned as his fists trembled over his eyes. Seeing his expression brought a look of worry into the eyes of Mirajane, who hoped that the bout wasn't affecting him too personally.

"Charizard, are you all right?" Alain asked back on the field as the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon stood back up, having scrapes all over his body.

"Roagh…" he responded with a grunt, glaring ahead at his foe.

" _What a battle so far!_ " the announcer screamed through the microphone, " _With how this battle's going,_ " he continued as the crowd was getting riled up, " _whoever comes out on top could give their trainer the victory!_ " he stated, while the two beings readied themselves.

"Lopunny, let's wrap this up quick!" Sunset advised with clenched fists.

"Nee!" the morphed Normal/Fighting type squeaked in agreement, preparing herself.

"Use Focus Blast!" the red and yellow haired girl ordered while throwing out her right arm. Forming another yellow orb upon her hands, her partner span around and launched it at her enemy.

"Dragon Claw!" the scarf-wearing trainer bellowed instantly. Forming a green, claw-like aura over both of his hands, the dragon-like creature let out a roar before slashing the sphere in half, letting it explode behind him before dashing forward, much to the shock of the crowd.

"No way!" Rainbow exclaimed, while Pinkie blinked rapidly.

"Even after all those attacks…" Applejack grumbled with a stunned expression.

"My word…" Rarity uttered in disbelief, as everyone else had practically the same reaction.

"Counter it with Ice Punch!" the former pony cried out. Recovering from her surprise, the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon encased both of her extremities within an icy blue aura, lunging forward to intercept her enemy's attack with them, causing sparks to fly all across the arena. However, he held out long enough to strike her with his right hand and make her tumble back across the ground. "Lopunny!" her owner exclaimed worriedly, fortunately seeing her stand back up.

"Now use Thunder Punch!" Alain commanded, closing his left hand into a fist. His partner's clenched right extremity became covered by an orb of yellow electricity before he flew out at his opponent again, soaring over the river.

"High Jump Kick!" Sunset yelled quickly. Having her legs glow a bright white, the morphed Normal/Fighting type jumped forward, intercepting her enemy's fist with her right foot, causing sparks to fly all over the place once more, while the water splashed wildly beneath them. They both gritted their teeth, trying to break through with their respective attacks.

"Go Sunset!" Bonnie cheered from the stands.

"Yeah, get him!" Shauna screamed, placing her hands over her chest worriedly.

"Lopunny, hop over him and use Ice Punch!" the red and yellow haired girl advised immediately. Using her floppy ears, the bunny-like creature pressed them against her foe's shoulders, allowing for her to flip right over him, much to his surprise as he saw her spin around with her right fist encased in an icy blue aura. She hit him directly in the back with it, sending him down into the river in a huge splash of water.

"Yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly, pumping her fist as everyone smiled. Charizard emerged from the stream, shaking his head to rid himself of the water while not noticing his adversary land on the ground behind him.

"Now, High Jump Kick!" the Omni Force member on the pedestal ordered. Letting her legs glow white again, her partner dashed forward, leaping up and aiming her right foot at the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon, who spotted her with widened eyes.

"Dodge it!" his trainer called out. In almost an instant, the morphed Fire/Dragon type leapt up from the water, narrowly avoiding the kick as his enemy passed him by, much to her shock. She then struck the ground beyond the river, grimacing in pain upon impact.

"Lopunny!" the former pony cried out immediately in concern, while most of the crowd gasped at the sight.

"Oh no…" Sawyer uttered out of realization, widening his eyes slightly, while his rival clenched his fists in frustration beside him.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain bellowed, swinging his arms out. Puffing his chest out, the dragon-like creature breathed out flames towards his pained foe, who noticed them too late as she was struck by them.

"LLAAAAAHHH!" she shrieked, enduring them as best as she could, managing to jump away once they dissipated into thin air.

"Lopunny, you okay?" her master asked, getting her attention.

"Lah, puh!" she responded quickly, getting back into a ready stance. All of a sudden, a plume of fire engulfed her entire body, making her cry out in agony, while the Equestrian magic user gasped out of shock. They vanished, but left her keeling over onto her left knee, breathing heavily from having to endure them for so long.

" _Oh my!_ " the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, while the crowd was just stunned, " _It looks Lopunny took the added effect of a burn from that Flamethrower!_ " he pointed out loudly, " _Will she manage to keep going?!_ " he asked as everyone watched on in anticipation. Within a Pokémon Center in Lumiose City, Rook Blonko observed the battle on the television with his arms folded over his chest, while those around him were somewhat weirded out by his presence.

"Rook," a voice chimed in, catching his attention as he turned to see Ben Tennyson standing at the doorway, "we gotta go," he told him, gesturing outside.

"R-Right…" he stuttered in reply, taking one last worried glance at the screen to see the frustrated expression upon his girlfriend's face before leaving the building.

"Lah… lah…" the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon breathed as sweat dripped down from her face. Her trainer had her fists tremble out of frustration, seeing the opposing trainer with a stoic expression on his face.

' _Even if we lose the whole thing…_ ' she began to herself, glaring ahead at the morphed Fire/Dragon type, ' _we HAVE to beat that Charizard!_ ' she inwardly declared.

"Lopunny, hang in there!" she yelled to her teammate in a reassuring manner, "We can still do this!" she stated confidently, much to her surprise as her eyes widened. However, she then grinned, nodding in agreement before standing back up, having a determined expression. The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers upon seeing her get on her feet, roaring loudly.

"Get 'im, Lopunny!" Applejack yelled from the stands.

"Yeah, go!" Rainbow screamed.

"Win! Win! WIN!" Pinkie repeated in exclamation, taking hold of Clemont and holding him tightly, causing him to turn blue as he couldn't breathe.

"P-Pinkie…!" he stuttered pleadingly, trying to break free of her grasp, while Serena and Bonnie looked on and laughed nervously. He managed to break free of her grip, having to inhale and exhale quickly in order to regain his breath.

"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Alain commanded back on the field, opening his right hand up. Having a green, claw-like aura form over both of his hands, the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon lunged forward.

"Counter with Ice Punch!" Sunset screamed. Encasing her arms in an icy blue aura, the morphed Normal/Fighting type hopped out and intercepted her foe attack with her right fist, while embers came off of her body. The two then swung their arms around wildly in attempts to strike one another, moving around carefully. The bunny-like creature of the two was disregarding the flames that were engulfing her body at certain points, continuing to punch in order to counter the slashes from her opponent.

" _WOW!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone, as the two beings on the field still went at it, " _Despite being burned earlier,_ " he began, " _Lopunny's still going toe-to-toe with Charizard!_ " he stated out of surprise, " _What a scrappy Pokémon!_ " he added out of excitement.

"Thunder Punch!" the scarf-wearing teen ordered, swinging out his right fist. An orb of yellow electricity then appeared over the same clenched extremity of the morphed Fire/Dragon type, who reeled it back as it was aimed at his adversary.

"Dodge and use Focus Blast!" the red and yellow haired girl called out quickly. The Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon quickly hopped back, avoiding the oncoming attack as it struck the earth, shattering it with a crack of thunder. The veil of flames then appeared over her form, causing her to grimace before she landed down. Despite the agony she was feeling, she formed another yellow orb of energy upon her hands, spinning around and firing it at her enemy, who had no time to react as it struck right in the face, sending him careening back over the river and crashing into the ground.

"Charizard!" his trainer yelled in concern, while the veil of dust slowly cleared to reveal the morphed Fire/Dragon type slowly getting up, breathing heavily.

"Rrahh…" he grunted out of pain, growling at his opponent. She, on the other hand, was just as fatigued while sweating madly. Embers continued to show from her body, making her grit her teeth in agony.

"Time to settle this!" the raven haired adolescent declared, throwing his right fist down onto the floor beneath him, "Charizard, Blast Burn!" he commanded instantly.

"RRROOOOAAAGGGHH!" his partner roared loudly, enveloping himself in a blue, fiery aura before slamming his clenched extremities against the ground, making it shatter up in an explosion of bright orange lights.

"Jump up and use Giga Impact!" Sunset instructed immediately. No longer letting the fire affect her, the morphed Normal/Fighting type dashed towards the cliff on her right, taking a great leap to get onto it, as the orange lights were shining brighter, exploding within the river as well. She kept on hopping as smoke began enveloping the stage, even veiling her from sight. A few moments passed before something leapt out from the large cloud, being the bunny-like creature as she span around with a determined expression in her eyes.

"N-No way!" Alain stuttered in exclamation, unable to comprehend how his teammate's final attack had missed.

"GO!" the former pony bellowed, enticing Lopunny to have a bright light flash beneath her feet before a purple orb with yellow streaks of energy enveloped her form. She immediately zoomed down towards her foe, who was completely baffled at the sight.

"LAH… PUHHHH!" she screamed, directly striking him in the chest, making him let out a pained roar before enveloped with her in a cloud of dust. The force of the impact blew throughout the stadium, even causing the likes of the spectators to flinch upon witnessing it. As the dust began to settle, they all looked out in anticipation, awaiting the result. It finally cleared to reveal to two fighters still standing, staring at each other. However, Charizard suddenly keeled over onto his knees, putting his hands against the ground to prevent himself from completely falling. Realizing that she needed one more attack to end the battle, the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon got into a ready stance, waiting for a command from her master. All of a sudden though, flames engulfed her body again, making her cry out in pain as the red and yellow haired girl gasped. They dissipated quickly, but left her feeling numb as embers emitted from her form. "L-Lah…" she uttered before falling backwards, hitting the earth with a thud.

"LOPUNNY!" her trainer shrieked, seeing her transform back to her original state in a bright flash of light, having scrapes all over her body. The referee quickly ran over to observe the scene, closing his eyes after making a decision.

"Lopunny is unable to battle!" he called out, raising his right hand into the air, "Charizard wins!" he added, gesturing towards the morphed Fire/Dragon type, "Therefore, the match goes to Alain!" he declared as the teen in question was sweating madly from the bout. The crowd went into a frenzy of cheers upon witnessing the result, seeing the Normal type's image become greyed out before the entire screen showed Alain's picture above the 'WINNER' sign.

" _Incredible!_ " the announcer exclaimed through the microphone as the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon went back to normal in another flash of light, still breathing heavily, " _Charizard manages to hold out for Lopunny to faint from her burns, giving Alain the win!_ " he stated loudly, " _He'll be meeting Ash in what's sure to be an exciting final round of the Kalos League!_ " he finished, while the crowd kept on sounding off in jubilance. However, no excitement was present in the minds of the Canterlot High students, who were completely stunned by the result. Rainbow was especially shocked as tears were streaking down her cheeks, while her teeth were clenched together.

"S-Sunset…" she stammered, letting out a sob before immediately wiping her eyes. Concerned expressions were upon the faces of Clemont, Serena, Bonnie, Sawyer, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Mirajane, Gingka, Pikachu, and Dedenne, while Ash, Erza, and Applejack all had frustrated looks.

"Dagnabbit…" the cowgirl muttered out of anger, having her fists clenched. The red and yellow haired girl trotted out onto the field, while her partner finally sat up, crying as her eyes were filled with tears.

"L-Lah, puh…" she stuttered apologetically as she could sense her master's presence, hoping that she wouldn't be mad at her. Suddenly though, she felt her jacket come over her, enticing her to look and see the article of clothing upon her form.

"Great job, Lopunny," the Omni Force member complimented, catching her attention as she looked to see her kneel down beside her, "You really gave it your all out there," she added while glancing up towards the sky, "Guess we just got a little unlucky is all…" she confessed, giggling a little.

"Nee?" the Rabbit Pokémon uttered in confusion, stunned as to how okay her owner seemed.

"We all did our best," she suddenly stated, making her perk up in surprise, seeing her turn to face her, "That's something we can be proud of," she mentioned. The Normal type was admittedly shocked, but then smiled, nodding before she embraced her lovingly, while she did the same back.

" _Folks, let's give a huge round of applause to the two trainers who fought with all their heart!_ " the announcer recommended, enticing the people in the stands to clap, including the huge group as they all grinned, proud of their friend for doing so well. She then stood up with the bunny-like creature, letting each other go.

"Alain, thanks for the-!" Sunset stopped her sentence as she saw the raven haired teen return Charizard to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, placing it back onto his belt before leaving without a word. "Huh?" his former opponent uttered out of surprise. In the stands, everyone was shocked that he didn't stay, even Fluttershy as she closed her hands into fists.

 **X**

"Your Pokémon have all been fully healed!" an enthusiastic Nurse Joy told the former pony, handing her a tray of all six of her Poké Balls, allowing her to take them.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," she replied in gratitude, placing them all back onto her belt.

"You did your best," the doctor suddenly said to her, making her perk up in surprise, "Be proud that you made it as far as you did!" she advised with a wink, causing her to blink out of astonishment before pulling off a small smile.

"Yeah," she concurred as she nodded, turning around and heading for the doors. Suddenly though, a stream of white and blue light emerged from her pants, making her gasp as it came into form right in front of her, dissipating to reveal Lopunny, who was still donning her leather jacket.

"Lah!" she greeted happily to her master, who just grinned.

"Thanks for all the hard work, Lopunny," she told her out of gratefulness, walking up to her, "You can hold onto my jacket," she added as she blinked in surprise, "I got another back home," she mentioned, causing her to smile brightly.

"Nee!" she squeaked delightedly. The two of them then walked outside, seeing the few people walking around the complex waving towards them, offering complimentary words to Sunset for her fantastic effort. She was admittedly embarrassed by the praise because she had lost, but was grateful for their kindness.

"Sunset!" a familiar voice cried out, catching her attention as she saw Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, Shauna, Gingka, Erza, Mirajane, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity jogging towards her.

"Hey, guys," she said in greeting as they stopped before her, "Guess I caught a tough break, huh?" she inquired, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"Sunset…" her rainbow haired friend uttered, somewhat stunned that she seemed so okay.

"That was an awesome battle!" the plump trainer chimed in, snapping his fingers, "Your Lopunny's moves were _so_ good!" he pointed out excitedly.

"Thanks, Tierno," the former pony replied in gratitude, glancing over towards the raven haired boy, who had a nervous expression on his face, "Ash?" she said, making him perk up, "Don't worry," she reassured with a smile, "We'll have our battle someday," she promised. He smiled in response, glad that she had taken the loss well. Everyone began to pour their compliments onto her, congratulating her for a great run, much to her embarrassment. However, she began showing concern as one person apparently wasn't among the group.

"Wasn't it weird how Alain just left without saying anything?" the well-dressed boy of the group asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yeah…" the beyblader agreed, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Once I find him," the requip wizard began, catching their attentions as they grimaced to see an ominous aura enveloping her form, "I'll have but just a few words to say…" she stated in a cold and dark manner, frightening the green haired boy, while the sword carrier beside him just sighed deeply.

"Hey, where's Fluttershy?" the red and yellow haired girl suddenly asked, causing everyone to perk up and look around in confusion.

"We dunno…" the cowgirl answered, arching an eyebrow.

"I was sure she was with us once we left the stadium…" the fashionista added while placing her right index finger against her cheek.

"How could you just leave like that?!" a familiar voice yelled angrily, making everyone perk up and turn to see the girl in question talking with the scarf-wearing teen, having an unusually enraged expression upon her face.

"F-Fluttershy?" Pinkie stuttered in shock, while the others just watched on.

"I thought you'd at _least_ show some respect for one of my best friends!" the animal whisperer screamed as her fists trembled, "Do you have any idea how _hard_ she worked to get that far?!" she questioned in an angry tone.

"I won't acknowledge anyone who can't beat me," the raven haired trainer stated in response, much to her surprise, "She might've pushed me pretty far," he confessed, "but she was bound to lose anyways," he told her in a cold tone, making her gasp.

"Y-You…" she stuttered, gritting her teeth in frustration, "If Lopunny hadn't been burned, you would've lost the whole match," she declared with a fierce look in her eyes, "Admit it!" she demanded, stunning him. Sunset was very shocked that her most quiet friend was standing up for her in such a loud manner. However, it didn't seem to work as Alain turned away.

"She would've lost either way," he told her, about to head off, "Besides," he continued, "she's not the fight I'm looking for…" he stated bluntly, making the pink haired girl widen her eyes in shock. She suddenly grabbed his right wrist with her left hand, causing him to turn back in astonishment, only to receive an immediate slap to his cheek from the female. Everyone was completely stunned and what just conspired, even the stricken one as he looked to see the tears of rage pouring out from the normally shy girl's eyes.

 **X END STORY X**

"Wait!" Leslie exclaimed once the tale ended, "What happened next?" she asked curiously, causing the Omni Force squadron leader to grin.

"Your father made a promise to me that he'd beat Alain and win the league," she explained in reply, "After he did," she kept going, "he and Alain worked together and saved the world from Team Flare," she told the girls and her adopted son, who were all surprised.

"Whoa…" Raya uttered out of astonishment, sheepishly taking a sip of her tea afterwards.

"And… what about Lopunny?" Rachael questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"She's hanging out at Professor Sycamore's lab with the rest of our Pokémon," the red and yellow haired woman replied, glancing over at the white dragon slayer, who perked up.

"Wow…" the requip user uttered in amazement, "Sounds like you were quite the trainer…" she confessed, sheepishly scratching her right cheek.

"Not really," Sunset admitted with a chuckle, "I was just another trying to do something out of my comfort zone," she said, causing the three females to all look at her in awe. Even the Revonnahgander was surprised by her story.

"That's milady for ya," Sting chimed in, leaning up against her chair, "She's been through a lot," he added while not noticing the smirk coming across her lips.

"You can get on your knee now, Sting," she advised, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise and blush, "The kids won't mind," she noted as he gasped.

"W-W-Wait!" he stuttered, holding out his hands, "H-How did you-?!"

"The box is sticking out of your pocket, you never housesit for me, and I've been your girlfriend for almost half a year," she listed off, interjecting his question as his face became completely red, "Of course I know you wanna marry me," she stated with a caring smile, much to his embarrassment.

"MARRY?!" Leslie exclaimed out of disbelief, while the rest of the girls were somewhat stunned. The white dragon slayer let out a sigh before pulling off a grin, getting down onto his right knee as told.

"Can't be helped…" he muttered, pulling out the box within the pocket of his jacket, "Sunset…" he began, opening it to reveal a jewel-encrusted ring inside of it, "will you marry me?" he asked sweetly. She just stood up from her seat, blushing as she smiled at him.

"Yeah," she answered, starting to tear up a little. Her new fiancée got onto his feet, placing the jewelry upon her left ring finger in a romantic manner. Afterwards, the two kissed each other on the lips, embracing one another lovingly.

"Aw, that's so sweet…" Rachael said with beady eyes of admiration.

"Yeah… but…" Raya began to utter, looking over to see the downcast look in Kyoto's eyes. He then went ahead and left the room, enticing the Tennyson girl to immediately follow him.

 **END**

 **An unfortunate loss for Sunset, but Ash is gonna keep his promise when the finals come around. And a little bit of Alain X Fluttershy arguing. Bet you didn't see that coming. Anyways, that brings an end to Sunset's journey. Now it's onto Rook Blonko!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **A few years have passed since Rook Blonko and Sunset Shimmer married informally in order to adopt Kyoto. The once happy couple has been torn apart by the civil war that ensued within the Omni Force many years ago and are very close to completely ending their relationship. With the Beedrill he received from Gingka Hagane, Rook vows to make one last request to the girl he once loved, asking for his first trainer battle to determine their separated future…**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **We fight with our powers not because we're forced to, but because we want to stop you!**_

 **Sunset Shimmer**

 **To Celosia during Team Flare Arc**


	10. Rook's Journey

**While the hiatus struck once again for this fic, I still started to think about ideas for the story centering around Rook Blonko. Of course, there are several factors going into this. The main one being his relationship with Sunset Shimmer.**

 **Obviously you all know that I plan to put Sunset with Sting in the future, thus leaving Rook as a lone wolf. But wait… where does Kyoto fit in, you may wonder? Well, he was adopted a while before his parents officially divorced, and their relationship was already running on thin ice at the point.**

 **More of what happened will be revealed in "Omni Force: WAR", but for now, I think it's time to get into the story! Let's get going!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

An opening to the roof of the building suddenly slid open as Kyoto went up the stairs onto it. He could feel a soft breeze rush by his fur as he took a deep breath of the air. He then removed the Proto-Tool that rested upon his shoulder, holding it out in his hands to stare at it for a moment. It had a sleeker design than his father's, being more adaptable and versatile and certain situations of combat. While he kept looking, Raya made her way up and spotted him, noticing the downcast look still on his face. She wanted to ask if he was all right, but that wasn't the issue overshadowing him at the moment, so she just walked over to his side.

"Hard to see that happen, huh?" she guessed, unsure of what to say while rubbing her right arm nervously. To her surprise though, she heard a chuckle escape his mouth as he began to grin.

"I knew it was gonna happen," he replied, glancing over at her, "She and Sting loved each other for a really long time," he mentioned as the half-rainbow haired girl blinked in surprise.

"But… didn't your mom say they were only dating for almost half a year?" she questioned while scratching her head out of confusion, "I mean, I knew they had a thing for each other, but-" Another laugh interrupted her sentence as she saw him fold his arms over his chest.

"They've technically been dating for about five years," he explained in response as he looked out to see the sun beginning to set, "It's just that they never announced it until a while ago," he added, turning to see the stunned expression on his friend's face, which reddened almost immediately.

"F-Five years?!" she stammered loudly in question, looking off to the side in embarrassment, "Geez…" she muttered as her head was actually steaming, "I can only imagine what they've been up to five years before _actually_ dating…" she admitted. The Revonnahgander then let out a deep sigh, catching her attention as she looked at him.

"Better than what her relationship with my dad was like," he stated, making her blink in realization.

"Oh, right…" she said as her look changed to an apologetic one, "That's why you're out here…" she mentioned, staring out at the skyline.

"Mega Evolution was an important part in why my mom and dad finally split all those years ago," he told her, seating himself down as the Tennyson girl stared at him in wonder, "I knew they were on the brink of leaving each other," he pointed out, "but I don't think either of them had the guts to ask for a divorce," he finished while letting a breath of air escape from his mouth.

"So… what happened?" Raya asked the rookie officer, who closed his hands into fists, remembering the tale of his parents' marital separation.

 **ROOK'S JOURNEY**

The sounds of blasts rung throughout the training room of Earth's orbiting Plumber Headquarters, where a bearded Rook Blonko was firing orange shots at targets upon the wall from his Proto-Tool. His aim was as precise as ever, with all the blasts striking the center of the targets, enticing the crowd of officers to clap out of being very impressed. His sister Shar was among the group, glad to see her sibling living up to his expectations as a leader.

"Thank you, everyone," he said in gratitude, bowing to them, "As you can tell," he continued, setting his weapon onto his shoulder, "a Plumber must always be quick to attack and precise with their strikes," he explained as they all listened in closely, "If you are aiming to be in the Alpha, Omega, or Rooters section of the Plumbers," he kept going, "then you must train diligently," he stated seriously.

"Sir!" they responded immediately with salutes, making him grin.

"At ease," he advised, holding out his right hand to them in a placating manner, "You are all dismissed," he added. His colleagues then left the area to back to their stations, minus his relative as she trotted up to him.

"You're doing great, Blonko," she complimented with a smile.

"Language," he reprimanded while chuckling.

"Oh, forgive the contraction," she retorted, playfully punching his shoulder with her right fist, "I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking my provisional exam to enter the Alpha squadron soon," she told him as she smiled.

"Excellent," he replied, "Magister Gunther will be tough on you though…" he pointed out with an arched eyebrow, "should you get in, that is," he mentioned to her, making her puff her cheeks out in frustration.

"I _will_ get in, and I _will_ do my best," she declared while placing her hands at her hips, "A Plumber promotes and safeguards peace throughout the galaxy and others," she added, much to the surprise of her brother as he glanced off to the side ashamedly.

"O-Of course…" he stammered, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "You are free to go, Shar," he said to his subordinate, who noticed his expression.

"Is… something wrong, Blonko?" she asked in concern.

"I am fine," he reassured as an answer, turning around and walking off, "Let Magistratus Tennyson know that I am departing for the evening," he advised, making her blink in surprise.

"All right…" she responded, watching him go into the elevator before its doors closed. As it went up, Rook sighed deeply, evidently fatigued and somewhat unmotivated. Even as his life had gone by normally for quite some time, there was still an underlying problem that haunted him every day. The accesses then opened into the central command center once the elevator stopped, allowing him to get off and walk towards the unoccupied teleporter. Many of his subordinates greeted him as he passed by, but he didn't heed to them as his mind was focused upon other matters at the time. He stepped up onto the dais of the system, letting out a deep breath of air.

"Blonko to home," he said to the machine, "One to transport," he mentioned. In a green flash of light, his form vanished instantly.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _It is not every day when we get visitors like you two…" the female Revonnahgander told the couple, "Um, right this way," she beckoned, having the two follow her throughout the household._

" _Are you nervous?" Sunset inquired to her husband, getting his attention as sweat rolled down from his head._

" _Um… perhaps a little…" he admitted in reply while rubbing the back of his head, "I mean… this child was found alone outside of a burning home…" he noted as he glanced down at the floor they walked upon._

" _Relax, Blonko," she advised reassuringly, placing her right hand onto his arm, "We don't have to worry about telling him that for a while," she mentioned as she nodded. He smiled back as they continued onward, entering the room the caretaker led them to. Inside, she was holding an infant alien in her hands, having a darker face than his father to-be._

" _H-How old is he?" he stuttered with a breaking voice, evidently emotional over seeing him._

" _About three months or so," the woman answered after handing him off into the Equestrian magic user's arms, "He has gone through quite a lot lately…" she mentioned, managing to pull off a grin._

" _I can imagine…" the Magister agreed as he cracked a smile._

" _So…" the caretaker began, wiping her hands with a cloth, "are you planning on naming the boy before his bi'nthak is gone?" she asked, causing him to blink in surprise. He then glanced over at his wife and to-be adopted child, noticing the raccoon-like tail that sprouted from the latter underneath the white blanket._

" _Uh… when the time comes," he started to respond, "he will be the one to decide his own name," he stated, catching Sunset's attention as she looked over at him, "For now," he continued, "we will call him… Kyoto," he finished, smiling still. The red and yellow haired woman grinned back, evidently okay with the name as the child slept in her arms._

 **END FLASHBACK**

In a matter of moments, Rook found himself within his home that lied on the outskirts of Omnitrix City, as he stood upon the teleporter dais before trotting off into the dark room. It turned out to be his basement as he walked up the stairs, letting the automatic door slide open into his kitchen.

"Huh…" he sighed, "Home at last…" he muttered, evidently worn as he slowly removed the Proto-Tool from his shoulder. The sound of footsteps then rang through his ears as he set his weapon down onto the table.

"Hey, da-!" His son's voice halted as he rushed in, realizing his mistake. "I mean… hello, father," he corrected, bowing to him as he turned to see him donning his black shirt and navy blue sweatpants, while his tail stuck out from behind him.

"Hello, Kyoto," he responded, trotting over to him and placing his right hand upon the boy's head, "How was your day?" he asked him.

"Good!" he replied happily, "I learned about the pacts between Earth and the other planets throughout the Milky Way and started Spanish," he explained, smiling all the while.

"Heh," his parent laughed, squatting down to his eye level, "It sounds like you are learning well," he noted proudly. He was about to say something else until he took notice of another figure in the room, being his wife.

"Hey Blonko," she greeted with a simple wave, while he just blinked in surprise.

"H-Hello…" he stuttered back, standing up as her child turned around to see her, "I… assume your day went well…" he slowly said while looking quite nervous. She merely turned her attention onto the young alien, making him perk up.

"Can you go hang out in the living room while we make dinner, sweetie?" she asked him politely.

"Sure mom!" he answered, rushing off out of the room. An awkward silence filled the kitchen as the couple stared at each other afterwards.

"So… your day _did_ go well?" Rook guessed, chuckling nervously as sweat rolled down his head.

"Yeah," she responded with a light smile, heading over to the sink and pushing a small button to make water gush out from the faucet, "More of the same with modeling, meetings, and getting ready for our final member to be decided," she listed off, washing her hands with soap out from a dispenser.

"Yes, of course…" the Magister agreed, scratching his head, "Um… Sunset?" he uttered, catching her attention, "Do you… perhaps have a moment to talk?" he asked anxiously.

"Huh…" the squadron leader sighed, "Not now, Blonko," she replied, getting out a few plates and bowls from the cupboards above her, "Let's just get dinner ready," she advised, much to his dismay as his expression became despondent.

"Okay," he responded, trotting over to help her out while unbeknownst to either of them, Kyoto had listened in to their conversation. After a wholesome supper for the family, they all went straight to bed, snoozing away softly. However, the Revonnahgander Plumber was squirming around on his side of the divan he rested in, opening his eyes to see the woman beside him peacefully at sleep. He sat up and gazed at her form, noticing the black tank top she wore as she lied on her right side, facing away from him.

' _Does she even realize how long it has been?_ ' he inwardly questioned, getting himself out from the covers and standing up on the floor. He felt the chill of the surface upon his bare feet, but disregarded it as he grabbed an object from one of the dressers before heading out. Moments later, he was up on the roof of the edifice, letting the cool breeze come over him as he merely donned his own tank top and boxers. His fur kept him from feeling frozen, but his teeth still chattered amidst the cold air.

"Here we go again…" he muttered, taking the object he had in his hand. It was a Poké Ball, which he tossed up after enlarging it. Once it popped open, the light that spilled forth came into form in midair, dissipating to reveal the Poison Bee Pokémon, Beedrill.

"Spee!" he buzzed in greeting before shivering at the sudden chill he felt. Seeing his partner brought a smile to the Omni Force member's face, remembering how he had first met him.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _A Beedrill?" Rook questioned as he saw the Bug/Poison type soar about above both him and Gingka._

" _Yeah," his teammate responded, "We picked him up with a bunch of other Pokémon a while ago," he mentioned, while the bee-like creature zoomed around speedily, "You can probably tell that this one's antsy to go on a journey," he pointed out with a chuckle._

" _But… I am not a trainer…" the extraterrestrial noted as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Would not Rainbow or perhaps Ash be better choices to leave… this one with?" he inquired curiously as the being floated down, letting his wings buzz excitedly._

" _Maybe…" the beyblader agreed while shrugging, "But this little guy's just like you in a way," he added as the insect buzzed over to his future owner, "He's starting his own journey, just like you," he told him. The Revonnahgander just glanced over at his future teammate, seeing him merely nod._

" _How will I know what to do for him?" he asked, concerned about becoming a trainer so quickly._

" _You'll figure it out," the shaggy haired teen reassured as an answer, "Ben says you always do," he mentioned, tossing something to him. He caught the object in his hands, seeing that it was a Poké Ball. After taking a moment to look at it, he let off a grin._

" _Very well," he concurred, taking the container and aiming it at the Poison Bee_ _Pokémon, "Will you come with me?" he asked him._

" _Speea!" he responded immediately with a nod, excitedly holding up his stingers. The Plumber let the device in his hand shoot out a red beam, touching the Bug/Poison type before returning him to it._

 **END FLASHBACK**

"Speeah?" his comrade buzzed in question, tilting his head while catching his master's attention.

"Oh, I am fine," he replied with a wave of his hand.

"Spee, spea?" the bee-like creature asked, readying his drill-like stingers.

"Huh…" his trainer sighed deeply, "Not tonight, Beedrill," he told him out of frustration before sitting down upon the floor in a meditative position, "I think she is still hung up over what had happened all those years ago…" he explained, closing his eyes and putting his fists together before himself.

"Speeah…" his partner buzzed worriedly.

"I am _fine_ ," the Magister reaffirmed, slowly breathing in and out, "Now let us strengthen ourselves for when the time does come," he advised, making the insect nod before flying around, throwing out his stingers again and again through the cold air. Rook's breath was visible as he continued to meditate, trying to relax himself despite the underlying tension he was feeling. His perky teammate continued to strike the air around the air, quickening his jabs as a pair of eyes watched the two of them from afar.

' _Just… stay focused…_ ' he inwardly said, clenching his teeth together, ' _Do not fall victim to-!_ ' All of a sudden, an image of Sunset in tears came into his mind, causing his eyes to jerk open with a start. His gasp caught the attention of the Poison Bee Pokémon, who floated down to him.

"Speah, spee?!" he asked out of immediate concern.

"Huh…" the Revonnahgander sighed, putting his hands onto his knees, "I do not know, Beedrill…" he muttered sadly, "It has been more than five years since the incident I caused…" he recalled, "Five years since I have been married to Sunset…" he continued, clutching his knees tightly, "And… five years since Kyoto became a part of our family…" he finished as he released his legs, standing up from his seat, "I wish that I could just tell her how I really feel…" he admitted while closing his right hand into a fist and looking at it, "but I do not wish to hurt her like I did back then…" he added, sitting back down despondently.

"Speear…" the Bug/Poison type buzzed in annoyance, lowering his stingers.

"You do realize that I cannot understand you, right?" the Magister inquired sarcastically, causing a tick mark to appear upon the bee-like creature's head before he whacked the back of his owner's head with his right, drill-like stinger, "OW!" he yelped in pain, rubbing it before turning to scowl at his partner.

"Spee, speeah!" he yelled angrily at him, pointing downwards.

"Do you want me to tell her the truth _now_?" he asked back as he got onto his feet, receiving a nod in reply, "Well, I cannot," he reaffirmed, while another breath of air left his lips, "Sunset and I still have a son to raise," he mentioned, "and I doubt he is ready to be with just one of us should this happen," he stated seriously, "Now, shall we keep training?" he suggested with a hard glare towards his comrade. Somewhat reluctantly, the insect flew back up into the air, taking jabs at it, while his master sat down again. Unbeknownst to either of them, the figure that had seen the ordeal was none other than his son, who looked more saddened over being surprised about his father's current state.

 **X**

"And so we are nearing negotiations with the Incurseans on creating new borders between our territories and theirs," Shar explained to Max Tennyson as they were trotting through the halls of the Plumber space station the next day, "Obviously, it will not be easy knowing how the empress is," she continued as she then placed her hand against a scanner beside a closed door, making it open once the system recognized her with a green flash and the sound of a beep, "but I think Magister Blonko can-" Before she could even finish her sentence, she and the Magistratus walked in, surprised to find the one they were talking about asleep at his desk.

"Uh, Rook?" the old man of the two entering uttered with an arched eyebrow, causing him to instantly awaken and jerk his head up.

"Ah, wh-what?!" he stammered out of shock, evidently startled until he saw the pair that had entered.

"Exhausted?" the human in the room guessed before letting out a chuckle, making him blush out of embarrassment.

"I… suppose…" he replied, deeply ashamed of himself as he glanced downward.

"Excuse me, Magistratus Tennyson," the female Revonnahgander said apologetically to her superior, "Is it all right if I tell Blonko about our discussion in private for a moment?" she asked him.

"Do as you like, Shar," he replied while smiling, "Make sure to let him know about the upcoming meeting he and the others are having," he mentioned seriously.

"Meeting?" the male extraterrestrial uttered, arching an eyebrow out of being perplexed.

"I will," his sister responded to the head of the Plumbers, "Thank you, Magistratus Tennyson," she said in gratitude with a bow, enticing him to nod before exiting.

"What meeting was he referring to again?" her sibling asked in confusion, making her sigh deeply in annoyance before turning to face him as the door closed behind her.

"The Omni Force squadrons are meeting to decide what to do about the future in terms of allying with the Justice League," she responded, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, yes…" her brother responded, pulling up a few holographic screens with alien writing on them, "That whole debacle…" he muttered while reading what he had just started up.

"More importantly though…" the younger of the two began, drawing his attention away from what he was reading, "are you all right?" she asked in concern, "You usually act like this around this time of year…" she mentioned, making him blink in surprise before standing up from his seat.

"I… may not be at a hundred percent like Magistratus Tennyson would say," he admitted, "but I am still able and ready to work," he stated while closing his hands into fists.

"And I understand that completely, Blonko," Shar replied, placing her left extremity over her heart, "It is just that this is around the same time as your fight against the… you know…" she recalled, making him sigh deeply in remembrance, "I… will leave you be…" she finished, turning around and letting the door open, about to exit.

"Shar, I saw your negotiation plans this morning," the Magister told her, causing her to perk up in surprise, "I think they will go quite smoothly considering who the empress is," he added with a smile, making her do the same before leaving. Once the access shut to leave him alone, the Plumber sat back down and breathed heavily, rubbing his fatigued-looking face with his hands. "Ugh…" he groaned tiredly, leaning back in his chair. He then pressed a button upon one of the metal cabinets beside him, letting it open up automatically. Reaching his hand in, he pulled out a white collar with a spherical, gray stone that included a curved shape with colors of black and yellow upon it.

' _I am going to have to ask her soon…_ ' he inwardly realized, clutching the collar tightly. The rest of his day went along normally throughout the space station. He arrived home as the sun was setting, opening the basement door he walked up to find both his wife and his adopted child waiting for him at the dinner table.

"Hey Blonko," Sunset greeted as she was eating a salad. He smiled at her before setting his things down and getting a plate, eating with his family for the evening. As the moon shined brightly in the sky hours later, only a single light emerged from the household, being the faint light of the refrigerator within the kitchen. The Revonnahgander officer was in there in a black tank top and sweatpants, grabbing a half-eaten sub roll and eating it down quickly. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes watched from afar, seeing him pull open a drawer and take out a leather brown glove with a multicolored, bright stone embedded into it. It had the same curved shape as the solid he got from the headquarters as he fitted it onto his left hand, tugging at it until it was well over his fur-covered extremity.

"Huh…" he sighed deeply, closing both the drawer and the refrigerator before leaving the room. Entering afterwards was Kyoto, who had seen what he taken. He carefully followed him as he was heading up to the roof once again. "Beedrill!" he called out, throwing his Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open as the light spilled forth into the night air, forming before dissipating to reveal the Poison Bee Pokémon.

"Speeah!" he buzzed, floating down to his master, who pulled out the white collar within his pocket.

"Here it is, Beedrill," he said, showing him the stone embedded into it, "This is now your Mega Stone," he stated as he was preparing to wrap the collar around his partner's neck. He stared at it in wonder as his wings continued to flap rapidly.

"Spee…" he uttered out of awe, letting the Magister put the band around his neck, with the stone being right underneath his face. Meanwhile, the young extraterrestrial was peeking out at them from the end of the stairway to the roof, wondering what his parent was trying to do with the bee-like creature.

"And before you ask," Rook began to the Bug/Poison type, catching his attention as he felt him finally securing the collar, "I was not able to get Sunset tonight…" he told him disappointedly, "so we will be training on how to harness your Mega Evolution," he explained, enticing him to nod in agreement.

"Mega Evolution?" his son whispered out of confusion as his tail wagged, curiously raising an eyebrow as he saw his father tap the Key Stone upon his leather glove.

"Beedrill…" he began, while streaks of golden light emerged from his solid, "let the bond we have shared over these few years come to fruition," he declared as the Beedrillite upon his comrade's collar let out bright gray luminosities, "Mega Evolve!" he bellowed loudly, raising his hand up into the air. The lights from both stones connected, becoming a bright white before a multicolored aura shrouded the Poison Bee Pokémon.

"SPEEEEAAAHHH!" he screeched loudly as his body began to morph, gaining more defined features. The antennae on his head became shorter and now extended forward and back over his face. His eyes become longer and sleeker, he now had three pairs of wings; the uppermost pair was the largest with a black trim along the top. His stingers become longer and larger, resembling javelins. His legs were no longer insectoid-like, and instead resembled conical, black-and-yellow stingers with white tips. His abdomen became larger and grooved, and it was attached to his thorax by a black structure. A similar black structure connected his head and thorax. As the light faded in a burst of wind, it revealed that the stinger on his abdomen was now a pale yellow, and he now had black stripes over his entire body.

"Wow…" Rook uttered upon seeing the completed transformation, amazed at how powerful his partner had become. Kyoto was just as stunned, trembling at the sight of the morphed Bug/Poison type.

"Speear!" he buzzed excitedly, jabbing at the air with his javelin-like stingers before floating down to his master.

"So this is the power of a Mega Evolution…" he realized, letting off a grin before closing his hands into fists, "All right…" he continued as his teammate perked up, seeing him pull out his Proto-Tool, "let us test your new strength," he advised.

"Spee!" the bee-like creature concurred with a nod, flying upwards. In the meantime, the Magister readied his weapon, aiming at him carefully.

"Now… Acrobatics!" he commanded, pulling the trigger to fire a few orange blasts up toward him. The transformed being became cloaked within a sky blue light, zipping around to avoid the beams quickly as they exploded in midair.

"Whoa…" the young alien watching from afar uttered in amazement with sparkling eyes. His father then span his weapon around until it was front of himself, having it shapeshift into an energy shield.

"X-Scissor!" he ordered.

"Speeaah!" he bellowed, making his javelin-like stingers glow a bright blue before zooming down and crossing them, causing a magenta-colored aura in the shape of an x to appear before them. He slammed into his trainer's blockade with his strength, pushing him back slowly but surely.

"Ergh…" he grunted, grinning though at how powerful his comrade was. His son was just as impressed, smiling widely.

"Speea!" the Mega Evolved Poison Bee Pokémon screeched afterwards, flying back up as his wings flapped rapidly.

"Okay, Poison Jab!" Rook cried out, disabling the energy shield of his armament and then morphed it into a makeshift staff. Making all five of his stingers glow a bright purple, Beedrill dove down towards his master speedily, while he span his weapon around before using it to block the strikes.

"Dad…" Kyoto uttered, completely astonished at the dedication his parent was showing during the course of his training. Yet he couldn't help but wonder what his father was trying to accomplish by doing this.

"Spee!" the morphed Bug/Poison type buzzed after throwing out his right stinger, which sliced through his owner's shirt at his left hip.

"Heh," he chuckled upon noticing, "Apparently, I need more practice in the field," he realized, shifting his weapon back into its normal state before setting a rocket onto it, aiming it upwards, "Now Venoshock!" he exclaimed as he fired the missile up into the sky. Pointing his javelin-like stingers toward the sky, the bee-like creature shot several dark purple blobs of poison at the rocket, striking it and making it explode in a violet firework. "Excellent," his master commented, grinning as his partner went over to him, transforming back to normal in a bright flash of light.

"Spee, speeaah!" he bellowed excitedly while raising his stingers, causing the bearded Revonnahgander to smile.

"We have made a lot of progress," he concurred, nodding to him, "Well… _you have_ at least…" he admitted, glancing down somberly. His child took notice of the sudden change in his expression, blinking out of confusion. "I do not know how I can even ask Sunset for such a thing," he stated, looking up at the partly cloudy horizon, "And I do not understand why _she hasn't_ asked for one yet…" he muttered, setting his Proto-Tool down onto the roof before sitting down.

"Speeah?" his partner questioned as he floated over beside him.

"I made the decision to tell her how I felt all those years ago," he confessed, putting his hands onto his knees while clenching them tightly, "I knew she and I could never have children together…" he mentioned sadly, "We were of two different species…" he added, while his son from afar looked on. He knew that wasn't the Magister's child by blood, but was stunned by the idea that he and his wife were apparently so far apart because of that. All of a sudden, the Poison Bee Pokémon took notice of the youngling peeking out from the roof. Despite having been seen, the small extraterrestrial was surprised as the insectoid appeared to ignore him, drawing his attention back onto his master.

"Speea, spee!" he buzzed to him, making him perk up.

"Huh…" he sighed, "I know that I have been discouraged lately…" he realized, managing to stand back up on his feet, "so I will do my best to make things right," he declared, taking a deep breath. Meanwhile, Beedrill looked back to see that Kyoto was gone, tilting his head as he wondered what the boy would do upon learning about his parent's intentions.

 **X**

The bitterness of the coffee that Rook had brought in a thermos kept him awake the next day as he attended to the new reports coming in on his holographic monitor. Though his mind was occupied with getting to speak with Sunset, he still focused on his duty as an intergalactic leader within the orbital base. Without warning, something started banging on his door, enticing him to immediately perk up.

"Come on in," he beckoned, shutting down his monitors with the press of a button. The access then slid open, revealing Ben Tennyson standing there with his slicked hair and well-trimmed beard.

"Well, I see that you and I aren't shaving anytime soon," he joked upon walking in, causing his former work partner to chuckle.

"It is 'no-shave' November, as I have heard," he retorted, standing up from his seat and stroking his hairy chin.

"Ha!" the Biomnitrix bearer laughed as the door closed behind him, "You're just as fun as ever," he noted, noticing the leather glove with the Key Stone lying upon his desk, blinking out of surprise.

"So what occasion has caused you to come visit me, Ben?" the Revonnahgander asked, quickly taking a sip of his coffee. The Omni Force commander-in-chief sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, nervous to tell his close friend his reasoning.

"Well… Grandpa Max told me to come by and tell you…" he started to say, stopping to let the extraterrestrial finish his beverage and set the thermos down on the desk, "He wants you to take the rest of the week off," he told him, much to his surprise as he blinked.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered, arching an eyebrow, "Why?" he asked out of confusion.

"He said you've been working really hard lately morning to night without even giving yourself time for a break," the human before him explained as a response, "And… you kinda look like you need it…" he mentioned, causing the Magister to sigh deeply in realization.

"I suppose you are right," he agreed, taking the glove that was on his desk and placing it into one of his pockets, "Would you mind letting me finish up my work for the day before then?" he questioned to him.

"Don't worry, I can cover for you," Ben reassured with a wave of his right hand, making him grin, "I hear your sister's gonna be the one to do those negotiations with the Incurseans soon," he pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Rook replied, nodding, "I know she will do her best to keep peace between us," he added confidently. However, he then saw his former partner's expression shift into a frown, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't just come by to be a messenger for Grandpa," he admitted to him, "I wanted to talk to you about Sunset," he said, causing the Revonnahgander to widen his eyes in surprise.

"Why?" he asked back, still stunned by the Biomnitrix bearer's words.

"We got a call from Kyoto this morning asking me to talk to you about it before you go back home," he answered, shocking the intergalactic officer as he had no idea that his son had found out about his dilemma, "Plus, he mentioned that you've been training at night differently…" he added while smirking, making his Omni Force comrade glance down ashamedly, noticing the leather glove sticking out from his pocket.

"Things have not been the same for me since that incident over five years ago…" he confessed, sitting back down in his chair, "I did marry Sunset, we adopted a child, and we seemed like a happy family," he listed off as his fists trembled, "But… it is all a façade…" he said with tears forming in his eyes, "After all I did back then," he kept going, "I do not think she ever loved me…" he finished, rubbing his watery eyes. His squadron leader just somberly trotted, placing his left hand onto his shoulder.

"Rook, don't make this hard on yourself," he advised in an attempt to comfort him, "What's past is past, and you've paid your dues," he told him while looking off to the side, "Truth be told," he continued, "I didn't think you and Sunset would be together for this long…" he admitted, causing him to perk up, "Whatever you do, it's your choice," he stated to him, patting his back, "Just make sure it's a choice that'll leave you both happy," he finished. As his tears finally stopped, the Magister stood up and walked over to the door, having it slide open.

"Thank you, Ben," he said before leaving, letting his human friend take his place at the desk as the access closed back up. A few seconds before he came to stop where he was, looking back and remembering a time he had walked away from the room before.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _You understand the consequences of your actions, Rook?" Max asked the officer as both he and Ben were in the office, with the latter of the two sitting before the Magistratus' desk._

" _Yes, sir," he responded, looking down at the floor somberly, "I deeply regret what I did to both my comrades and my friends," he added as he had his hands put together before himself._

" _Don't forget about Sunset," the Biomnitrix bearer advised in a harsh tone, making him grimace._

" _Ben, there's no need for that," his grandfather advised, going through the holographic screen of information. His missing right arm from the conflict was scarring for his grandchild to see, as he kept his arms folded over his chest, glaring at his partner._

" _So as it stands," he started to say, "Rook's now on parole and can't go to any other universes without permission from me or any other member," he explained, uncrossing his arms, "right?" he guessed as he arched an eyebrow._

" _Yeah, that's about it," the old man replied, having finished reading the information as he pressed an icon upon the screen to make it disappear, "Rook's also earned a few demerits in the Plumber rankings," he mentioned, getting no response from the extraterrestrial, "That said, he's still a Magister," he confessed, "Rook, if you want to make up for what you did," he kept going as the Revonnahgander still looked down, "be a man and take responsibility for your actions," he stated to him seriously._

" _Of course, Magistratus Tennyson," he responded, standing up from his seat and exiting the room afterwards. His squadron leader followed him out, going into the hall with him before they both stopped._

" _All this crap… because you and Sunset can't have a kid together…" he muttered angrily to him, causing him to sigh deeply._

" _Ben, I do not know what else I can say other than that I am sorry," he apologized, turning to face the Omni Force commander-in-chief._

" _You can start by actually giving her what she wants," he answered immediately with a hard glare, "not what you THINK she wants," he added, folding his arms over his chest._

" _I-I understand…" Rook stammered as a reply, evidently ashamed._

" _No, you don't!" Ben suddenly yelled, making him flinch out of shock, "You put the lives of your teammates in danger, you almost killed Law, and you broke your girlfriend's heart!" he listed off in rage, "And that's all because you couldn't have kids with her…" he grumbled, finishing his outburst. The alien Magister just said nothing, turning away and walking off. He realized that no form of apology would ever ease his comrade's anger, so he just went on his way._

 **END FLASHBACK**

"Hey, partner," a familiar voice said, making him turn around instantly to see the Biomnitrix bearer standing right outside his office door, "Do what you think is right for both you and her," he advised, folding his arms over his chest, "It'll be fine," he promised in addition, grinning at him to his surprise. He managed to smile back before walking off again, now reaffirmed with a new resolve. As he stepped onto the teleporter dais moments later, he began to remember the events of what had happened over five years ago when he and his friends had gone to war against the Marines. His mistrust of the pirates, specifically Trafalgar Law, had led to several arguments and battles between the team. The very memory that haunted him the most was when Sunset confronted him over the matter. He had attacked the captain of the Heart Pirates to prevent him from getting closer to her because he did not want her to ever end up as his pawn or such. The Equestrian magic user was stunned that he thought she would do that and even more so when she learned that the reason he hadn't proposed to her was because they could not have children together. The green light of the teleporter sent Rook away moments later, followed by him reappearing within the dark basement of his home.

"Do what is right… for both you and her…" he recalled, stepping off of the pedestal he was upon.

"Spee, speeah!" a familiar voice suddenly buzzed, catching his attention as he saw Beedrill floating right in front of him.

"Beedrill?" he uttered out of surprise, blinking rapidly, "What are you doing here?" he asked out of confusion, "And how did you get out of your Poké Ball?" he questioned on, arching an eyebrow.

"Um… hi, dad…" another voice greeted, making him widen his eyes in shock. Kyoto came out from the shadows of the basement, walking up to him. "I hope you are not mad for what I told mister Tennyson about you…" he noted, glancing down ashamedly.

"Kyoto…" Rook said, surprised that he seemed so calm about the situation at hand, especially considering the circumstances.

"Mom is upstairs if you want to talk with her…" his son added, gesturing towards the door up the staircase. The elder Revonnahgander realized that he knew everything about what was going on between him and his wife, remembering his friend's words from earlier. He then knelt down to his child's eye level, embracing him comfortingly.

"I am sorry that you had to find out about this," he apologized, "There is nothing more I can do to ease your mother's pain nor mine except by doing this," he told him in a depressed tone.

"Do you and mom really not love each other?" he asked back, being relieved from his father's grasp as he sighed deeply.

"It is… complicated…" he confessed as a reply, "Your mother and I do care about each other's well-being," he continued, "but we do not share love…" he said, much to the young extraterrestrial's surprise.

"Well…" he began in a somber tone, "I think you should talk to mom about what you want," he advised, enticing the Magister to smile.

"So do I," he agreed, placing his hand atop his head before standing up, "Thank you, Kyoto," he said in gratitude as he then went up the stairs. Beedrill followed after him until the access slid open, allowing them to see Sunset right there.

"Hey Blonko," she greeted with a nervous grin, as her husband developed a resolute expression upon his own face.

 **X**

A cold silence was all that filled the kitchen as the couple stared at each other, with both their adopted son and the Poison Bee Pokémon watching on. It was evident that neither of them wanted to discuss about what was to come, but Rook was determined to see things through for their sakes.

"Sunset…" he started to say, "I… think we should get a divorce," he stated outright with no sign of regret or reluctance. The rest of his family, save for the Bug/Poison type, were all surprised that he would suggest such a thing, but the red and yellow haired woman kept her composure, folding her arms over her chest.

"Before I tell you what I think," she began, getting his attention, "what's gonna happen to Kyoto if we _do_ divorce?" she asked seriously, "Who's going to take custody of him?" she questioned on in a worried tone.

"I think that will be his decision when the time comes," the elder Revonnahgander responded after a moment, "He deserves to live with whoever he chooses," he added, turning to his child as his eyes were trembling.

"Do you think it'll be all right?" the Equestrian magic user asked, "Either way, he's going to be the one most affected by all this," she noted while gesturing towards, "whether or not we decide to divorce," she finished. A moment passed as the Magister processed his thoughts, turning to his child.

"Kyoto, I want to know what you believe we should do," he told him, much to his surprise as he blinked.

"W-Well…" he began to stutter, "I… think you and mom… would be happier without being married," he confessed, shocking his female parent into widening her eyes, "Not once did I ever hear you say that you really love each other," he remembered, still looking down, "So I think it's best if you do this," he finished, suddenly realizing the mistake he had made, "F-Forgive the contraction…" he stammered in apology, making his father actually chuckle.

"It is fine," he reassured with a smile, while the Omni Force squadron leader sighed.

"So that's it, huh?" she guessed, getting a mere nod in reply from her husband, "… All right," she said after taking a moment to process the information, "We'll need to go through all the red tape," she mentioned out of annoyance, going over to the sink to wash her hands, "but it should go through in a couple days," she stated, drying her extremities afterwards with a towel.

"Speeah…" Beedrill buzzed, getting the attention of his master as he looked over at him.

"Oh, Sunset," he said, catching his wife's attention as she had finished wiping the water off of her hands, "I have one more request," he told her, making her blink in surprise. A while later, they were all up on the roof as the setting sun highlighted the horizon.

"How long have you been training up here?" the Equestrian magic user asked, letting the wind sway through her hair as she overlooked the city from afar.

"About a few years," her husband replied while taking his position on one side of the roof, "Honestly, I did not know _what_ to do when I received Beedrill from Gingka," he admitted as the Poison Bee Pokémon floated before him, "but then I remembered that there was something I wanted to do for you," he told her, making her perk up as she turned to look at him.

"And what's that?" she questioned with a grin, folding her arms over her chest.

"I wanted to battle Alain and defeat him for your sake," the elder Revonnahgander responded, putting his leather glove onto his hand as she was left surprised, "After hearing how disrespectful he was to you in the Kalos League," he kept going, "I wanted to battle him myself," he confessed, letting out a chuckle, "but I knew that I would be no match for him the way I am now," he stated while grinning just a little.

"And here we are now," the red and yellow haired woman realized as she smiled, pulling out a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "Lopunny, let's go!" she called out, tossing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it poured onto the ground, coming into form and dissipating to reveal the Rabbit Pokémon, who bore her trademark silver necklace around her neck.

"Pun, nee!" she squeaked excitedly, ready to get into action.

"Don't think I've gotten rusty, Blonko," the Omni Force squadron leader advised, stretching out her arms to their respective sides, "I've spent my fair share of time training, too," she mentioned. The extraterrestrial cracked a smirk, readying himself as well.

"I would not have it any other way," he concurred, throwing out his right arm, "Beedrill, Acrobatics!" he commanded. Cloaking his body within a bright blue light, the Bug/Poison type dove towards his foe, aiming his stingers at her.

"Counter with High Jump Kick!" Sunset yelled to her partner, who had her legs glow white as she leapt up and intercepted her enemy, being in a deadlock with him before they jumped away from each other, "Now use Focus Blast!" her master ordered.

"Pun!" she responded, readying her hands before forming a glowing yellow orb upon them, twirling around and launching it at her opponent.

"Dodge it!" the Revonnahgander cried out quickly. The bee-like creature easily maneuvered away from the sphere, which struck the ground in a smoke-filled explosion. "Okay, Poison Jab!" his owner shouted with a pump of his fist. Making his spearhead-like stingers glow an ominous purple, he zoomed ahead towards the Normal type. However, she hopped back each time he threw out his appendages, narrowly avoiding them.

"Ice Punch!" the red and yellow haired woman demanded, swinging her left arm. An icy blue aura shrouded her partner's left hand before she reeled it back, throwing it out to counter another attempted jab from her adversary. The two remained at a stalemate for a few more moments until they finally broke away, placing themselves in front of their respective trainers.

"Whoa," Kyoto uttered from afar, amazed by the strength of both beings.

"Shall we make this interesting?" Rook suggested, raising up his glove-covered hand.

"Let's do it," Sunset concurred, grasping her jacket and tossing it aside. She then pulled the pendant of her necklace out from underneath her shirt, grinning before touching the Key Stone embedded into it. "Lopunny, Mega Evolve!" she bellowed, letting bright yellow lights emerge from her solid. Streaks of cream-colored luminosities shot out from her teammate's Lopunnite, connecting with hers before a bright flash of light occurred. The Rabbit Pokémon then became enveloped within a multicolored aura, starting to transform in a loud yell. The tufts of fur above her eyes combined to form a single butterfly-shaped crest, and the cream fur on its wrists and ankles became more round instead of fluff. However, the rest of its lower leg fur was seemingly disappearing, while her ear fur now began to only cover two segments of each ear in fluffy bands. When the luminosity around her vanished, it revealed that the fur on her neck, upper torso, fingers, and legs blackened, forming a pattern on the legs that resembled ripped pantyhose.

"PUH!" she squeaked, kicking and punching around excitedly.

"It appears we will have to do the same!" the Magister realized, tapping his Key Stone with his fingers, "Beedrill, Mega Evolve!" he shouted up into the air.

"Speea!" Beedrill buzzed in agreement. The yellow lights that emerged from his master's solid came into contact with those from his Beedrillite, thus creating another flash of light. His body began morphing in the same way it did before, as antennae on his head became shorter and now extended forward and back over his face. His eyes become longer and sleeker, he now had three pairs of wings; the uppermost pair was the largest with a black trim along the top. His stingers become longer and larger, resembling javelins. His legs were no longer insectoid-like, and instead resembled conical, black-and-yellow stingers with white tips. His abdomen became larger and grooved, and it was attached to his thorax by a black structure. A similar black structure connected his head and thorax. As the light faded in a burst of wind, it revealed that the stinger on his abdomen was now a pale yellow, and he now had black stripes over his entire body. "SPEEEEAAAAHH!" he screeched loudly, readying his stingers.

"Now we are ready…" Rook uttered, closing his hands into fists, "X-Scissor!" he commanded. Crossing his javelin-like stingers, the morphed Bug/Poison type had them glow a bright blue as a magenta colored x appeared before them, followed by him lunging out at his foe at a high speed.

"Wow!" Kyoto exclaimed out of shock. However, his adoptive mother just cracked a smirk.

"Use Ice Punch!" she ordered. Cloaking both of her fists within an icy aura, Lopunny jumped forward and intercepted the Mega Evolved Poison Bee Pokémon in a huge burst of wind, blowing by the young Revonnahgander as he held onto his tail tightly. "High Jump Kick!" Sunset yelled, throwing her right arm out. Making her legs glow a bright white again, the transformed Normal/Fighting type kicked her opponent's head with her left and then proceeded to strike his thorax with her right, sending him hurdling away. He managed to recover, shaking his head.

"Speeaah…" he buzzed in anger, letting his wings flap rapidly.

"Acrobatics!" the Magister called out. A blue light shrouded the bee-like creature's entire form before he zipped forward, attempting to strike his adversary.

"Ice Punch, back-to-back!" the red and yellow haired woman shouted, making her partner have her fists become shrouded in an icy blue aura once more. The two beings raced out and struck, pushing each other back with great force. Even as it seemed that Beedrill was at a disadvantage from taking so many early hits, he still managed to reach a deadlock with his opponent.

"Beedrill, Poison Jab!" his master demanded quickly, enticing him to have all five of his stingers glow an ominous purple. He then zoomed out towards his enemy rapidly, catching her by surprise.

"Dodge it!" the Equestrian magic user cried out. Her comrade did her best to avoid each attempted strike, but her foe managed to scrape by her hip with the stinger on the right of his abdomen, causing her to keel over in pain.

"Puneee…" she groaned as purple bubbles emitted from her body with electricity of the same color, making her trainer gasp.

"You poisoned her…" she realized, looking back at her husband.

"And now this battle is all but won," he noted confidently, pumping his left fist out, "Venoshock!" he bellowed.

"Spee!" the morphed Bug/Poison type buzzed, having his javelin-like stingers glow an ominous purple again and shoot several dark blobs of poisonous energy in the form of streaks, which struck his opponent in a massive explosion.

"LLAAAAHH!" she shrieked in pain, tumbling out from the smoke cloud that remained afterwards, lying on her stomach. Her teeth were clenched together as she slowly got back up, still sparking in purple electricity.

"Not bad, Blonko," Sunset admitted, letting off a little smile towards him, "You've done your research," she commented while folding her arms over her chest, making him grin as well, "But we didn't make it to the semifinals of the Kalos League all those years ago for nothing," she mentioned, "Lopunny, Giga Impact!" she bellowed, enticing her partner to immediately leap up, much to the shock of everyone else as she span around, letting a light flash underneath her feet before being immersed within a purple orb with yellow streaks. She dove down instantly at her enemy, who had no time to react as he was hit in an instant.

"Ergh… Beedrill!" Rook cried out, hoping that his comrade was all right as smoke filled the area. It went away seconds later to reveal that he was still floating, but had plenty of scrapes across his body.

"Speeaah…" he buzzed out of agony, appearing quite fatigued.

"You still wanna keep going?" the Equestrian magic user inquired, arching an eyebrow while smirking. Her expression caught the elder Revonnahgander by surprise since he hadn't seen something like that for a long time. However, he smiled back, closing his hands into fists.

"Of course," he responded, "Acrobatics!" he commanded while pumping his right arm. Glowing in a sky blue light once more, the Mega Evolved Poison Bee Pokémon zipped towards his foe, about to strike her.

"Ice Punch!" the red and yellow haired woman ordered. As both of her fists became cloaked by an icy blue aura once more, Lopunny used them to counter each attempt made by her opponent to try and finish her off, causing sparks to fly all over the battlefield despite her poisoned condition. Still watching, Kyoto marveled the sight of the battle, seeing both creatures lunge at each other and intercept their attacks. What caught his interest the most however, were the expressions both of his parents were showing. They were smiling while giving out commands to their respective comrades for the battle.

' _They can be happy…_ ' he inwardly realized, grinning himself as the two fighters went back to their respective sides.

"Now Poison Jab!" the Magister yelled.

"Giga Impact!" Sunset shouted. The morphed Bug/Poison type had all of his stingers glow an ominous purple before charging forward. Meanwhile, his adversary flipped forward and had a flash of light emerge beneath her feet, followed by being enveloped in a pink orb of energy with yellow streaks, heading towards him.

"SPEEEEEAAAAHHH!" the bee-like creature screeched loudly.

"LAAAAAAHHH!" the Mega Evolved Rabbit Pokémon screamed before the two collided, creating a huge burst of wind that blew by everyone, making them flinch as a huge explosion occurred right then, covering them within the smoke that came afterwards.

"Ergh…" Rook grunted, having to shield himself from the blast by crossing his arms over his face.

"What happened?" the Omni Force squadron leader wondered, waiting as the wind finally blew in to clear the black veil. Both trainers widened their eyes to see that the two beings who had fought were lying on the ground, groaning in agony upon reverting back to their original forms.

"Looks like a draw…" their son commented, catching their attentions as they looked over to see him smiling.

"Indeed," his father concurred with a nod, going over to his partner as he slowly arose from the roof floor, shaking his head. Lopunny got onto her feet as well, rubbing her back out of pain.

"Nice work, Lopunny," her master complimented, catching her attention, "It _has_ been a while," she pointed out while placing her hands at her hips.

"Nee!" she squeaked in agreement, making her giggle happily.

"That was fun," she confessed, seeing her husband walking up to her, "I haven't felt that same rush with you in years," she added, glancing off to the side as she remembered a few events from their past.

"I too feel the same," the Magister replied as she blinked out of surprise, noticing him take off his leather glove, revealing the white marking upon it, "It may have been that event that changed our relationship forever," he continued, taking hold of her right extremity that had the same marking in red with his left one, "but even before that occurred, you and I were becoming farther apart from each other," he explained, causing her eyes to tremble in disbelief.

"Blonko…" she uttered. All of a sudden, a faint red light emitted from her jeans, catching their attentions. The intergalactic officer knew that it was her crystal pendant that only glowed when she was around someone she truly loved. Tears showed in her eyes as she saw it as well, evidently confused by why it shined.

"Heh," the elder Revonnahgander laughed, "It is only a glitch, correct?" he inquired, much to her astonishment as she thought he would say something else. However, she managed to smile, embracing him tightly afterwards.

"Thank you, Blonko…" she said in gratitude with tears streaking down her cheeks. He hugged her back comfortingly, followed by their Pokémon and their son joining in amidst the setting sun.

 **X END STORY X**

"And that's the gist of it," Kyoto finished to the Tennyson girl, "My dad told your parents about the divorce, and it went down in just a few days," he explained while looking to see that the sun had gone down completely, leaving only the starry night sky, "Dad took custody of me, but mom visits every now and then," he mentioned as he shrugged, "She even stays here when dad's working late nights…" he added, glancing over to see his friend in tears.

"I-I… don't know what to say…" she stuttered, wiping her eyes afterwards.

"You don't need to say anything," the young officer reassured as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner, "My mom's happy, my dad's happy…" he listed off while grinning, "It's just that I haven't seen that in a while," he admitted, chuckling a little. The half-rainbow haired girl smiled at him in return, as her eyes had run dry of anymore tears. They then journeyed back down into the house's living room, surprised to find the current Magistratus amongst everyone else.

"Hey there, mister Rook…" Raya greeted somewhat nervously, wondering if he had heard about his ex-wife's engagement. His adopted then stepped forward to face him, followed by a long moment of silence. Leslie and Rachael were left perplexed at what was happening, while the rest of the adults looked on anxiously.

"Kyoto," the elder Revonnahgander began, making him perk up slightly, "would you like to be the best man for your mother's wedding?" he asked him, smiling all the while. The young Equestrian magic user and her alien friend widened their eyes in shock at his question, seeing the grins on Sunset and Sting's faces along with those of the other two girls.

"Sure, I'm cool with that," he replied, managing to keep his composure and chuckle.

"Language," his father reprimanded, causing him to groan out of frustration.

"Oh come on, dad…" he muttered before going up to him and embracing him. The white dragon slayer and his bride-to-be joined in on the hug, cementing themselves as a family while not noticing the girls gathering around each other from afar.

"I guess we can ask about his dad's Mega Evolution later…" the requip user admitted while smiling.

"Don't worry about it," the Tennyson girl reassured, catching their attentions, "I got the whole story up there," she pointed out, much to the surprise of her two female friends as their mouths gaped open.

"Well I guess that settles that," the Pokémon trainer realized, recomposing herself in almost an instant, shocking her pals slightly, "So where to next?" she asked, changing the subject. It took a moment for the half-rainbow girl to spot the marks upon the hands of both the Magistratus and the Omni Force squadron leader's hands, being the insignias for the Fairy Tail guild. She smiled brightly afterwards.

"I think I know," she stated, enticing her friends to look over at her grin.

 **END**

 **Well, I hope you guys are okay after that chapter. *hands everyone a box of tissues* I know that this was a pretty tough reading to sit through. I never imagined having to create such a story where a relationship was pretty much being torn apart, much less with Sunset and Rook as I created a unique dynamic for them. Sadly, not everyone thought that way and believed Sunset would be better with someone else.**

 **I'm in full support of Sunset X Sting now, but I'm sad that Rook X Sunset is going to be taken down like this. It's an interesting concept, but it hurts to break up a pairing you created.**

 **Anyways, I think it's time to get into the next story on the list, being Natsu Dragneel's!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **While on his journey to grow stronger for the sake of his guild, Natsu ends up running into Gingka Hagane, who presents him with a Salamence! Naming her Sally, Natsu continues his travels and trains with her day after day! And when they finally arrive back in Magnolia to rebuild their guild, they have their first battle against a familiar face… Will Natsu master the power of Mega Evolution?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Who's Natsu going to face? You'll have to wait and see! Until then, see you guys later!**

 **QUOTE**

 _ **We will emerge victorious. We always do in the end.**_

 **Rook Blonko**

 **To everyone before the final battle against the Megalith**


	11. Natsu's Journey

**Hey folks! Ready for another journey to be looked at more closely? This time we're looking at everyone's favorite fire breather, Natsu Dragneel, learn how to use Mega Evolution! Natsu is my favorite male character of all time because of his positivity of confidence even when all seems lost. He's been the subject of hate as of late though, as how he's been written was kind of skewed from his last couple of appearances in the manga.**

 **I won't spoil anything, but it has made me cringe just a little. That said, he's still awesome. Awesome enough to have a Mega Evolution at his back. So without further ado, let's get back into "The Mega Protocol"!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

After meeting with Kyoto and learning about the stories of his parents, the trio of girls decided that their next stop for a story would be in the universe of Fairy Tail, where they arrived in the streets of Magnolia. They walked around the city for a while before locating the guild, standing before its doors.

"Well, here goes," Rachael said, pushing them open, "Hello~!" she sang in greeting. All of a sudden, she found herself brought into a tight embrace, being squished into something rather soft.

"Oh, Rachael!" a familiar voice cooed as she was held against the chest of Erza Scarlet, who had rosy cheeks and a wide smile across her face, "I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed, nuzzling her head against hers lovingly, "What brings you to visit your godmother today?!" she asked excitedly, not noticing the reddening face of her apprentice.

"H-Hi… Aunt… Erza…" she managed to breathe out before managing to free herself from her iron grip.

"So what brings you and your friends here today?" she asked curiously, still smiling as if she had done no harm to the Hagane girl.

"We're story hunting," Raya joked as a response, "We're learning about the Omni Force members' Mega Evolutions and how they got them," she explained to her.

"Specifically, the first eleven," the young requip user chimed in, causing them to laugh.

"You know," the woman recognized as Titania began in a proud tone, "I have a Mega Evolution myself," she stated, causing the pair before her to gasp out of surprise.

"Really?! When?!" her student, earning a chuckle from her.

"I learned to harness the power of my Pinsir after forming a strong bond with him," she replied with her arms folded over her chest, "That's how Mega Evolution goes, right?" she inquired to the teenagers.

"That's amazing…" Rachael concurred as her eyes trembled. The Equestrian magic user beside her smiled happily, but then noticed that a certain someone didn't appear to be among them.

"Where's Les?" she asked, causing the redheads to perk up as they glanced around. They spotted the girl standing from afar, as she appeared to be staring off into space with widened eyes and a blush streaked across her face. Her eyes were focused on the several pairs of breasts that were upon the women of the guild, with some being even larger than others.

"B-B-Boobs…" she stammered, falling down to her hands and knees in a defeated state, frustrated with her flat chest. Her friends just stared at her blankly before glancing over at each other.

"Guess her self-consciousness kicked in…" Raya realized, while the Hagane girl merely nodded in agreement.

"We're back!" a voice suddenly cried out, catching everyone's attention, including the girls as they looked over and smiled to see a pair of females walking into the guild. The first of the two was a tall, attractive-looking girl with onyx hair that lengthened down to her back. Her dress was rather uniformed, being a navy blue trench coat and blue stockings with brown, leather boots. The girl beside her was wearing a bright white, scale-patterned scarf while donning an orange tank top, jean shorts with a belt, and brown boots. Her hair was pink, tied in short pigtails from the back, and she bore an earring on her left ear that was adorned with a dragon scale. They both took notice of the guests in the building, smiling at the sight of them. "Hey girls!" the shorter of the two greeted, waving her right arm to them. Moments later, they and the trio were gathered together at a table, waiting to be served lunch.

"We just got back from a mission in Hargeon," Alice explained before taking a sip of her glass of water.

"And we kicked major butt!" Natalie chimed in, snapping her fingers excitedly.

"Bet the trip wasn't too great…" the requip user noted, causing the pair of wizards to perk up in realization, grimacing a little.

"Well, I held my lunch my down for as long as I could…" the dragon slayer muttered, evidently embarrassed with a reddening face as her partner patted her on the back.

"So no Clive?" the half-rainbow haired girl guessed, changing the subject for the group.

"No," the ice and water wizard replied as she placed her arms against the table, "He's actually working on an experiment with his father to figure out why he inherited his Devil Fruit powers," she explained to them.

"I think the same thing's going on with Akemi," Rachael pointed out, leading to an interesting discussion about the subject. Meanwhile, Leslie was staring ahead at the two Fairy Tail girls with her head against the tabletop, noticing how they both seemed to be quite well-endowed despite them being younger than her.

"Grr…" she growled with a reddened face of embarrassment, "Even _they_ have boobs…" she grumbled, catching their attentions.

"Knock it off, Les," the scarlet haired girl reprimanded, whapping her on the back of the head with her right hand.

"OW!" she yelped in pain, grabbing at it, "Sorry…" she apologized while puffing out her cheeks.

"So what are you three doing here?" Alice asked, causing them to all perk up, "I doubt it was just to have lunch…" she mentioned with a chuckle. They all just looked at her in surprise, blushing a little. "Wh-What's wrong?" she stuttered in question, tilting her head to the side.

"Uh, Allura?" the Dragneel girl chimed in, making her turn and face her, "Your coat and shorts…" she pointed out to her surprise, enticing her to look down and gasp to see that she was only wearing her blue sports bra and panties.

"EEK!" she shrieked, fumbling around to find her clothes as everyone else watched on with blank, stunned expressions.

"So whatcha' come here for?" Natalie questioned, getting their attentions.

"We're learning about the stories of Omni Force members' Mega Evolutions," Raya answered, curiously leaning forward, "Your dad had one too, right?" she inquired, receiving a nod in reply.

"Sally was always dad's go-to flyer whenever Happy couldn't give him a lift," the pigtailed girl remembered, glancing off to the side.

"Sally?" the Pokémon trainer questioned with a confused look on her face.

"The name of my dad's Salamence," the dragon slayer responded, prepared to tell them more, "Dad always said great things about her ever since the day they met…" she added, recalling the tale.

 **NATSU'S JOURNEY**

Over a few months had passed since Natsu and Happy arrived back in their universe from the Friendship Games. While they enjoyed their time with the Canterlot High girls, Twilight, Spike, and their teammates on the Omni Force, they were glad to be back in their own world to train. Though it wasn't long before the two of them were lying on the ground within a forest, moaning in agony.

"We ran out of food again…" the exceed muttered, lifting his head up with tears in his eyes.

"Should've stocked up before we left…" his partner mentioned as his arms were outstretched across the earth. Looking up at the sky, he saw a few clouds pass overhead before developing a serious expression on his face. "We can't lie around though," he stated, hopping up onto his feet and doing a few torso twists, "If we're gonna protect the guild for the future," he started to say as the blue furred cat arose, "then we gotta get stronger," he declared, punching his left hand with his fist.

"Aye, sir…" the feline agreed tiredly as he raised his right paw, "But shouldn't we at least find _something_ to eat tonight?" he suggested to him.

"Sure thing!" he responded eagerly while grinning, rushing off into the deep woods. A long while passed before they even managed to locate any wild animals they could kill off for food. The dragon slayer was able to take them all down quite easily, letting the anthropomorphic creature start a fire by himself in the meantime. Stars shone in the night sky hours later as they cooked, with the flickering flames being the only other sound heard aside from the chirps of crickets. The Fairy Tail wizard stared at the fire while chowing down a piece of tenderized and heated meat, reminded of his surrogate father from the flames.

' _You taught me what it means to love…_ ' he remembered him saying as his final words, ' _Never forget that…_ ' he recalled hearing before seeing him perish at the claws of Acnologia.

"Dad…" he uttered, clutching his scarf tightly.

"Hey, Natsu…" Happy chimed in, catching his attention, "I think your dad did a great thing for us," he noted with a small smile, "He saved us, didn't he?" he inquired, earning a grin from his longtime friend.

"Yeah," he concurred, looking up at the stars. A while passed before the duo finished their abundant meals and fell fast asleep, snoring with bubbles of snot being blown of their noses. The next morning, the sun beat down roughly on the snoozing twosome, who had yet to even open their eyes. A shadow began looming over the pink haired teen, causing him to stir before slightly opening his eyes in confusion.

"Rise and shine, Natsu," a familiar voice greeted, making him immediately perk up to see Gingka Hagane standing right there.

"Gingka!" he exclaimed, startling his exceed awake as he yelped, sitting up before noticing the beyblader as well, smiling.

"So what are you doing out here?" he asked him a while after they had gotten reacquainted.

"Just came by to visit," he answered, sitting down on the ground, "After all, Ben told me about you leaving Fairy Tail to go train for a year…" he mentioned to the dragon slayer, making him chuckle.

"We're actually thinkin' about being away a little longer after what happened at CHS," he explained to his surprise as he blinked.

"Aye," Happy chimed in, nibbling on the head of a fish, "Natsu took quite the beating from that Midnight Sparkle, so he really wants to get stronger and stronger…" he told the Omni Force member, who folded his arms over his chest.

"Guess that makes sense," he concurred, looking over at his teammate, "Still… I'm sure a lot of people are really missing you," he noted as the fire mage widened his eyes slightly.

"Heh," he chuckled back, "Yeah, I know…" he realized, glancing down at the earth they sat upon, "Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy…" he listed off, "I bet they're all wondering how I'm doing…" he noted with a deep breath of air.

"I'm sure they're fine," Gingka reassured as he looked up at the sky, "Erza's been probably doing the best since I saw her," he pointed out, much to the confusion of his comrade, tilting his head to the side.

"Wait, what do you mean?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"She joined me on a mission in Ash's world," the beyblader responded while noticing the residue of their fire from last night, "A lot's happened for us since Tartaros…" he mentioned in a somber tone, "Kinda fell out of it a little seeing you… you know…" he tried to say, but didn't as his friend let out a deep breath of air.

"Yeah, I getcha'," he concurred, "So do ya know how everyone's doing?" he questioned, changing the subject.

"They're all fine from what I hear," his Omni Force teammate answered, reaching down to his belt, "But more importantly…" he began as he pulled out something, "I need to give you this," he said, handing the object off to the fire mage. He lightly gasped to see that it was a Poké Ball, along with a note attached to it.

"Hey, that's the thing Ash uses to hold his Pokémon on his belt…" Happy noted as he stared at the containment.

"What's this for?" his partner asked the teen in front of him, seeing him stand up.

"I figured you two could use a new friend to join you on your journey," he explained as a response, "She'll definitely help you get stronger," he mentioned with a chuckle. The two members of Fairy Tail looked over at one another before looking back at him.

"She?" they simultaneously questioned, earning a laugh out of their pal.

"Go ahead and open it," he advised, making Natsu blink in surprise before doing as told, letting the spherical container pop open. The light it released spilled out onto the earth, coming into form and then dissipating. Happy promptly let out a frightened shriek at the being that appeared, while his longtime friend just gasped. Before them was a Salamence, who shook her head and then stared at the pair before her.

"Rrrraah…?" she purred, blinking in confusion at the sight of them.

"A d-d-dragon?!" the exceed stammered, frightfully hiding behind his partner, while he stared at her in wonder.

"She's smaller than the ones we've seen…" he pointed out with narrowed eyes, getting on his feet.

"This is Salamence," Gingka introduced while trotting up to her side, "She used to be a part of a group of Pokémon who were forced to Mega Evolve," he explained, much to the duo's surprise.

"Hold on…" the feline of the two chimed in, making them perk up, "Isn't Mega Evolution something you use?" he asked.

"Yeah," the beyblader responded as he went to pet the Dragon Pokémon on her neck with his left hand, "In fact, everyone's getting into it these days," he pointed out to his comrade, much to surprise as he blinked, "You should, too," he recommended. Natsu just stared over at the Dragon/Flying type, noticing the leather brace around her front left leg. Embedded into it was a silvery stone with a curved shape in colors of red, blue, and gray.

"Sounds like fun!" he concurred after a moment of thinking, grinning widely as the anthropomorphic cat gasped.

"Natsu, we're gonna have a third mouth to feed then!" he yelled to him, "Not to mention…" he continued, noticing how the creature was staring at him, "I'm kinda… scared…" he confessed, hiding behind his pal's leg.

"Don't worry!" he reassured with a cheeky chuckle, "You and Sala… uh… Salamuh…" he tried to say, but became completely confused upon trying to say the full name of his new teammate, "Sorry, how do you say her name?" he asked apologetically, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

"Salamence," the shaggy haired teen replied.

"Hm…" the dragon slayer hummed, trying to remember the name, "Why don't I call her Sally to make it easier?" he suggested as the winged being perked up.

"Rah!" she voiced with a nod.

"I think that's a yes," the Omni Force member there noted, reaching into the pocket of his pants, "All right Natsu," he began, tossing another object his way, "good luck," he said as he caught a small stone in his hands, which was multicolored and had the same curved shape as the one upon the Dragon Pokémon.

"Hey, Gingka!" the fire mage yelled, getting his friend's attention as he pulled out his MPG, "If ya can," he continued to say, "let Lucy know I'm gonna be gone a bit longer," he advised with a serious expression, surprising him slightly.

"I'll see what I can do," he promised with a grin, using his device to make a green portal appear before walking into it, leaving the area. The Dragon/Flying type looked over at her new owner and purred delightedly, excited to be with him.

 **X**

A long while before the new group of three reached a long stretch of plains with no signs of shade in sight. A gust of wind rushed by, blowing through the hair of the dragon slayer as he let out another breath of air.

"I doubt we're gonna find a slither of food out here…" Happy muttered, slouching down in defeat, "Let alone a fish…" he added hopelessly.

"Well, at least we found a spot to train!" his longtime friend declared with a punch of his left hand, making a small flame flicker from it, "Whaddaya say, Sally?" he asked his new partner.

"Roah!" she roared in agreement, taking off into the sky with a mighty flap of her wings, soaring around.

"She sure is enjoying herself…" the exceed pointed out with a bored expression on his face, "By the way," he continued, catching Natsu's attention, "what was that note Gingka gave you?" he questioned, making him perk up in realization.

"Oh, yeah," he said, reaching into his waistcoat and pulling out the piece of crumpled paper, taking a look at it after unfolding it, "Huh…" he uttered upon reading it, "So these are Sally's attacks…" he stated after a moment, placing his hand on his right hip.

"Dragon Rush, Hyper Beam, Steel Wing, and… Flamethrower?" the anthropomorphic feline read unsurely as he hopped onto his pal's shoulder to get a better look.

"That last one sounds pretty cool!" he exclaimed, smirking at the thought of how the move would look, "All right Sally…" he began, causing the Dragon Pokémon to perk up while in midair, "FLAMETHROWER!" he screamed. Hearing his order, she grinned, letting her mouth billow with fire before turning around and it out in a stream heading directly for her new master.

"AAAAAHHH!" the exceed shrieked, paling out of fright as they were about to get struck. However, Natsu just reeled his head back, inhaling the flames into his mouth. When he finished, he allowed them all down, letting out a loud burp.

"Oh man, that was good!" he noted as the Salamence came down and landed in front of him, "Guess I know my next source o' grub!" he mentioned cheerfully while going over to pet her head.

"Rraaahh!" she purred delightedly, nuzzling her cranium against his and making him laugh.

"She's gonna be a handful…" Happy grumbled out of realization, letting a drop of sweat roll down from his own head.

"We're gonna get along fine," the dragon slayer reaffirmed as he rubbed the creature's head, "Now why don't we try doin' some more moves?" he suggested to her.

"Roaah!" she roared in agreement, taking off to the sky in an instant.

"Okay, Dragon Rush!" her trainer commanded with a pump of his fist. Streams of bright blue aura started to form around the Dragon Pokémon's body, as they grew and cover most of her body, with a black shadowy aura inside the bright blue aura while getting larger. She zoomed down and streaked across the plains, making the grass sway wildly before she soared back upwards.

"Whoa!" the exceed yelped upon feeling the force of the attack, while the fire mage just grinned excitedly.

"Now try Steel Wing!" he yelled, enticing the Dragon/Flying type to have her wings glow in a metal-grey light, shining brightly as she span down and flew along with the wind. As she passed by her friends, they were blown back her immense speed, as Natsu had to actually brace himself from the impact.

"BRRRAAAAAAHH!" she bellowed as she flew overhead, causing her new master to look up at her in wonder, amazed by how strong she seemed.

"All right…" he uttered, letting off a wide grin, "USE HYPER BEAM!" he ordered in his loudest voice. Opening her mouth, Sally formed a purple-black ball of energy, which grew in size until she swung her head back, shooting a large ray of the same light down at the earth. It collided, making it explode into a huge mushroom cloud of dust upon impact, much to the shock of the two Fairy Tail members.

"Oh wow…" the anthropomorphic cat said in awe, astonished by the great strength he had just witnessed. His partner's trembling eyes were replaced by an excited smile seconds later, as he could not contain his joy.

"So this is how Ash feels…" he noted, catching the feline's attention, "The rush of a Pokémon battle…" he mentioned as he closed his hands into fists.

"That wasn't exactly a battle…" Happy pointed out bluntly with a raised paw. All of a sudden, the Salamence came down and landed right beside him, making him yelp out of surprise before turning to see her there.

"Rraahh…!" she purred, nuzzling her head against his affectionately.

"We're gonna have one of those battles someday," Natsu promised, going up to the pair of comrades and petting them affectionately, while clouds shadowed them from the sun's harsh rays.

 **X**

Hours passed as the trio ended up hunting down more wild animals for food, setting up camp under the starry sky as nighttime finally fell onto them. The blue furred exceed was fast asleep, while his two friends watched the fire flicker on. The dragon slayer finished a piece of meat he had scavenged, staring at the flames before him afterwards. A small smile graced his lips while looking on, remembering the king of the fire dragons.

"Roah?" Sally questioned, catching his attention as she was lying down beside him, having a concerned expression in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine," her trainer reassured, petting her head gently, "A lot happened before you showed up," he noted, reaching into his knapsack and pulling out a few objects, "My guild was in this huge fight… and my dad showed up to save us…" he told her slowly, "He… did what he could," he finished, rubbing his eyes as they started welling up with tears, "Now I wanna do what I can to make sure he rests peacefully…" he stated, clutching the items within his hands. The Dragon/Flying peeked over his shoulder and saw that they were a few pictures along with a pair of glasses, which had a cracked right lens.

"Brraah?" she asked in a purr, making him perk up again.

"These are from a friend of mine," he answered, showing her the eyewear, "She gave me a real hard time a while ago…" he mentioned, chuckling at the memory of when he was at Canterlot High, "Wonder how she's doin'…" he grumbled, falling back onto the ground and viewing the multitude of stars, "I'm gonna get stronger…" he declared before closing his eyes, falling asleep. The Dragon Pokémon rested beside him, snoozing soundly through the night. Hours went by as the group of three slept, with none of them looking to awaken any time soon. However, the Salamence perked up as she sniffed something in the air, opening her eyes and standing up to see a faint orange light in the distance.

"Rah?" she uttered in surprise, noticing that the scent of smoke was lingering in the air, "Rrr…" she growled, using her mouth to pick up her new master and place him onto her back. She did the same with Happy, flapping her wings a couple of times before taking off into the sky. The sudden feeling of wind rushing over his face enticed Natsu to finally wake up.

"Huh?" he said, opening his eyes, "Am… I moving?" he questioned, noticing his exceed lying beside him. He then gasped to see that he was upon Sally, who continued flying ahead. "Whoa, Sally!" he cried out, trying to get her attention, "You shouldn't be the one flyin' me around!" he pointed out to her, "Otherwise I'm gonna-!" He stopped his sentence upon realizing that he had no sense of queasiness or unease. "Hey, I'm not getting sick!" he yelled excitedly as he looked at his hands, "This is awesome!" he exclaimed. His shouts also woke up the feline lying beside him.

"What's going on?" he asked, blinking in confusion before widening his eyes, "Hey, we're flying!" he shrieked as he glanced around, seeing that it was the Dragon/Flying type carrying them, "Natsu, why's Sally-?!" He immediately halted his question as he saw the bright smile on his friend's face.

"Check it out, Happy!" he pointed out, gesturing towards himself, "I ain't gettin' sick anymore!" he exclaimed, laughing happily. The anthropomorphic cat was admittedly surprised by the revelation, but then gasped as he spotted something in the distance.

"Up ahead!" he yelled, causing the pink haired teen to perk up and look out, squinting as he couldn't tell what it was. It turned out to be a building in a small town engulfed in flames, much to his shock.

"So that's what ya smelled…" he realized, making the winged being they were upon nod.

"Good thing we've got you with us!" Happy pointed out cleverly with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," his longtime pal admitted, surprising him a little, "Having a big meal like I did last night might not be good for my stomach if I try inhalin' that…" he explained seriously, "We should just make sure people steer clear of the place," he advised, making the others he was with nod in agreement. Shouts and screams filled the smoky air as they arrived, seeing that the entire edifice was lit on fire.

"We need a water wizard here right now!" one man down below demanded.

"Is anyone still in the building?" an old woman asked in concern.

"My daughter!" another female cried out in a panicked tone, "My daughter's still in there!" she exclaimed, trying to rush back in through the entrance, only to be stopped by a brawny man.

"Hey, don't be crazy!" he yelled to her, "You'll die if you go back inside!" he told her as she was completely in tears.

"B-B-But my daughter!" she screamed while stuttering.

"Don't worry!" a voice shouted downward, catching their attentions as they saw the dragon slayer jump down onto the ground, with the exceed floating towards him thanks to a pair of feathery white wings, "I'll get her out!" he promised, running into the flaming building before anyone could say anything to stop him. A man took notice of the mark on his shoulder as he passed by, staring at it in wonder.

"Fairy… Tail?" he uttered out of surprise, seeing him charge in.

"Hey, kid!" he cried out loudly, "Let me know if you can hear me!" he shouted, hoping to get a response.

"Hello?" a faint voice replied, followed by the sound of uncontrollable coughing, making him perk up and look upstairs, seeing some burning wood about to fall onto him.

"Whoa!" he yelped, jumping away just in the nick of time, glancing upwards with a grimace on his face, "Hang on!" he yelled, hurriedly running up the stairs. Outside, both Happy and Sally floated up, trying to locate their friend within the building. All of a sudden, the former of the two noticed the walls start to crack, seeing that the wooden supports were burning up.

"Natsu!" he screamed. Inside, the fire wizard quickly glanced around as he had gone two floors up, finally spotting the source of the voice from earlier. It was a little, blonde haired girl who was wearing a white shirt underneath denim overalls, as she was huddled in the corner, coughing rapidly from the smoke.

"There you are!" he said, catching her attention as she looked to see him approach, "Don't worry, kiddo," he reassured as he picked her up, "I'm getting you outta here," he promised. Without warning though, the whole began to shake, causing them to gasp as they held each other closely.

"Natsu, hurry!" a familiar voice called out, making him look over and see his partners floating beside a window, "The whole building's coming down!" he yelled to him. He gasped in realization, quickly rushing over. Ceiling beams and debris alike fell from above, making his path to his teammates all the more difficult.

"Ah, crap…" he grumbled, noticing the frightened expression on the little girl's face, "Happy! Sally!" he yelled, getting the attentions of the duo outside, "Take the kid and get away from here!" he ordered, suddenly tossing her at them through the open window. On instinct, the Salamence caught her by the shirt with her mouth. Unfortunately, her master was too late to make it as the ceiling completely collapsed on top of him, much to the shock of everyone.

"NATSU!" the exceed shrieked in fright, beginning to tear up as both he and the Dragon/Flying type went down to the ground. The fire had completely smelted out from the collapse, as the little girl was let down onto the ground.

"Natalie!" the woman from earlier cried out, causing her to look and see her rushing towards them.

"Mommy!" she exclaimed with tear-filled eyes, embracing her happily as she was picked up into her parent's arms.

"Thank you… so much…" she said slowly in gratitude, but was surprised as she didn't receive any immediate response from the pair of creatures before her, as they were focused on the pile of smoking rubble that was once an edifice.

"Rrraah…" the Dragon Pokémon moaned in dismay, lowering her head. All of a sudden, the rubble shifted a little, catching the attentions of the ones from afar as it exploded in a fiery blaze in an instant.

"RRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH!" the dragon slayer roared into the air as he had emerged from underneath the collapsed building, clenching his fists as his flaming aura burned brightly. It dissipated moments later, revealing his fatigued state as scrapes and cuts were all over his body.

"All right Natsu!" Happy cheered with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Rraah!" Sally exclaimed, leaping up to her master and tackling him to the ground, "Rrrr…" she purred delightedly, licking him as he laughed.

"Hey, come on Sal!" he pleaded with another chuckle, "You're gonna hurt me more than ya already are!" he pointed, while the crowd who witnessed the whole ordeal was still surprised. The fire wizard then came down with his partner, going up to the girl he had saved. "Hey, sorry about havin' to throw you outta there at the last second…" he apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "Just wanted to make sure you made it out okay," he mentioned with a grin.

"Um… thank you, mister…" she said out of gratitude, smiling back.

"No problem, kiddo," the pink haired teen replied with a cheeky chuckle, as everyone else gathered around to make sure the hero was all right.

 **X**

A long while after being treated for his minor injuries, the Fairy Tail wizard and his comrades left the small town, continuing their training journey. Along the way, the human of the three discovered a latent power within him left behind by his surrogate father, learning to master it over months and months of intense practice. A few years went by as the trio all grew stronger before they arrived in the Fiore capital of Crocus, where they ran into Lucy Heartfilia. She told both of her close friends about how the guild had disbanded after they had left it, thus leading to her having to join them on another adventure to get it back together.

A few weeks went by as they ran into several of their friends, having to go through battle after battle to reignite their spirit in the name of the place they called home. When they finally arrived back in Magnolia, practically everyone else aside from the Thunder Legion and Makarov Dreyar was there, prepared to bring the place back from the ashes it was once in. They started working on building it right away, and it wasn't long until they began fighting scrappily like a family like all those times before. Thankfully, Erza Scarlet stepped in and made sure they kept to their tasks, preventing them from brawling like idiots.

"Heave ho!" Natsu bellowed as he picked up three wooden beams in his arms, carrying them over to the others.

"Ergh!" the celestial wizard grunted as she struggled to bring another beam, dropping it down while breathing heavily, "Jeez…" she grumbled afterwards as she slouched down, "I can't believe the Omni Force now has _three_ squadrons!" she pointed out while holding up her fingers.

" _I_ can't believe Gray ended up on one of 'em…" the fire dragon slayer muttered, folding his arms over his chest after he set down his beams, staring over at the ice wizard as he hammered nails into the wood.

"Sting and Rogue are a part of that team now, too…" the blonde haired girl mentioned, glancing up at the sky, "It's amazing how strong those guys are getting…" she noted while smiling happily.

"Yeah," her guild mate agreed, "Well, let's get back to work!" he declared, rushing back over to the pile of beams as she sighed deeply.

"My back's gonna give out…" she complained, trudging over slowly. Hearing her remark, the Omni Force reached into his waistcoat, pulling out something and enlarging it with the press of a button, much to her surprise. "Uh, Natsu?" she uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side, "What's in your hand?" she asked curiously. Before she could get a word out of her friend, he tossed the object up into the air, being his Poké Ball as it popped open, with the light that emerged from it spilling out onto the ground near them. The luminosity came into form and dissipated, revealing Sally standing there.

"Rah!" she roared in greeting, much to Lucy's surprise as she stumbled back.

"Whoa!" she yelped, about to fall over backwards.

"I gotcha'!" the pink haired teen yelled, catching her in his arms, "Sorry 'bout that…" he sheepishly apologized, "I should've introduced you to Sally sooner," he admitted, making her blink out of shock.

"S-Sally?" she stammered, noticing the Salamence trotting over to them.

"Sal, this here's Lucy," Natsu introduced as he gestured towards her.

"Um… hi…" she greeted with a nervous wave. The Dragon/Flying type blinked for a few seconds before leaning her head in and nuzzling it against the celestial wizard's own. She giggled from the tickling feeling, catching the attentions of the others working from afar.

"Hey, what's that thing with Natsu and Lucy?" Romeo Conbolt asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Looks like a dragon…" his father answered unsurely, scratching his cheek with his right index finger.

"A lot smaller than the ones we've seen…" Wakaba Mine mentioned as a puff of smoke emerged from his mouth. Mirajane Strauss caught wind of their conversation, trotting over and spotting the creature as well.

"Oh, that's a Salamence!" she chimed in, catching their attentions, "She's a Pokémon, like the ones from Ash's world!" she added with a little giggle.

"How do you know she's a girl?" Wendy Marvell questioned while blinking rapidly out of surprise.

"Let's just say I've run into her before…" the take-over mage replied cheekily, much to the confusion of the others. Meanwhile, the celestial wizard was still being greeted by Sally as she continued nuzzling against her. She didn't mind that, but she then realized that the fire dragon slayer was still holding her from earlier, much to her embarrassment as her face flushed a mad red.

"Okay, great to meet ya!" she suddenly exclaimed as she pulled herself away, "W-We should get back to work, right?" she recommended with a stutter, astonishing them a little as they tilted their heads to the side.

"What's the matter, Luce?" the human of the two asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

"NOTHING!" she instantly claimed, tossing another beam of wood his way, which he caught just before it could hit him.

"Heh!" he chuckled, "Guess you've still got a lotta energy!" he pointed out, going over to her with the Dragon/Flying type to help her pick up more beams.

"Oh, how romantic~!" Juvia Lockser sang as her hands were clasped together before her face upon viewing the scene. Hearing her voice enticed Gray Fullbuster to perk up and look over, seeing Happy help the group of three carry beams as he floated in the air with his wings. The Dragon Pokémon caught the onyx haired man's eyes, making him smirk as he set down his hammer, taking the bandanna off of his head as well.

"Hmph," he scoffed upon coming down from the ladder, "Guess we can have a break…" he pointed out, placing his hands in his pockets and catching the attention of the blue haired beauty.

"Gray, my love?" she uttered in confusion, seeing him trot over towards his rival.

"Hey, Natsu!" he called out, catching his attention as he glanced at him, "So you got yourself a Pokémon, huh?" he guessed while looking at the Salamence curiously, rummaging his right hand through the pocket of his pants, "How 'bout we have a little match?" he suggested as he pulled out something, being a Poké Ball as he enlarged it by pressing its center button, much to the surprise of several others.

"Gray has a Pokémon, too?!" Lucy exclaimed with a look of astonishment on her face, while the fire dragon slayer widened his eyes only slightly for a moment.

"Sorry, Gray," he apologized, going back to lifting another beam of wood, "But we've still got work to do," he pointed out seriously, "Besides," he continued, "I don't wanna piss off Erza again…" he grumbled, shivering in remembrance of the requip mage shouting at them earlier.

"Oh, come on…" his rival pleaded with outstretched arms, "Not even if we spice it up a little?" he inquired while grabbing at his necklace. The pink haired man glanced back over, gasping to see the multicolored stone embedded into his jewelry, followed by the smirk on the demon slayer's face.

"Okay…" he uttered with a grin, pulling out his own Key Stone from his waistcoat. Sally blinked at the sight of the two, wondering what was about to happen. Moments later, she and her master stood in a field nearby the construction site, eyeing their future opponent, who reeled his arm back.

"Glalie, go!" he called out, tossing his Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light the spilled forth from it poured onto the ground, coming into form to reveal the Face Pokémon, who had a leather brace around the horn on the right side of his head.

"Glay!" he bellowed upon appearing.

"What the heck is that?!" the celestial wizard screeched as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"I think it's a head covered in ice," Happy bluntly answered with a raised paw.

"That's Glalie," Juvia chimed in, catching their attentions, "He might seem a little scary," she mentioned to them, "but he's actually a real sweetheart!" she admitted as a light blush spread across her cheeks, "I think Gingka made a good choice in giving him to my darling," she added with a smile.

"Gingka?" the two beside her uttered out of surprise, arching their eyebrows.

"Natsu got Sally from Gingka, too!" the exceed pointed out after remembering, "Now that's weird…" he noted, folding his paws over his chest.

"Yeah…" his partner agreed upon hearing the news. He then turned and widened his eyes slightly to see his teammate happily conversing with the Ice type.

"Rrah!" she roared in greeting.

"Glay, lee!" he joyfully responded, apparently glad to see her.

"The heck?" Gray uttered as he tilted his head to the side, evidently confused.

"Uh, aren't we supposed to be having a fight?" the fire dragon slayer inquired while rubbing the back of his own cranium, causing the Dragon Pokémon to perk up.

"Roh, rah ah," she told her future opponent, who blinked in realization.

"Glay!" he replied, going back to his side of their eventual battlefield.

"What's going on over here?" Erza asked as she trotted over with some of the other guild members.

"I think Gray and Natsu are gonna have a Pokémon battle!" Mirajane answered in a delighted tone, "I wonder how they'll do…" she said quietly while placing her hand onto her chin.

"A battle, huh?" the requip mage guessed, glancing downwards, "Well, they'll need a referee," she pointed out, trotting towards them and getting their attentions.

"Erza?" the demon slayer questioned in surprise as she stood between the two creatures.

"All right!" she bellowed suddenly, making everyone perk up and listen, "This is a one-on-one Pokémon battle with no substitutions!" she explained loudly, "When one side's Pokémon is unable to continue, the battle will be over!" she declared to the two trainers, who smirked, "Now if you're ready…" she continued, raising her right arm into the air, "BEGIN!" she yelled, swinging it down.

"Let's see if you can handle the heat, Gray!" the pink haired man joked with a pump of his right fist, "Sally, Flamethrower!" he commanded. In an instant, the Dragon/Flying type took off into the sky with a mighty flap of her wings, arching her head back before spewing a torrent of fire from her mouth toward her foe.

"Glalie, Ice Beam!" the shirtless male ordered. Charging a light blue ball of energy between the horns atop his head, the Face Pokémon unleashed several zigzag-like streaks that struck the oncoming flames, countering them in a huge burst of steam.

"Whoa!" Happy yelped, while both Lucy and Juvia widened their eyes.

"Can't handle the cold, Natsu?" the onyx haired man inquired as a smug look crossed his face, "Gyro Ball!" he called out. Making his horns glow a light blue, the Ice type span around rapidly, making a ring of energy form as he zoomed into the cloud of steam. Growling in frustration, the fire dragon slayer clenched his fists.

"Sally, Hyper Beam!" he bellowed. Forming a purple-black ball of energy in front of her mouth, the Salamence unleashed a gigantic ray of the same colored light into the veil, followed by an explosion that blew by everyone with its force.

"Jeez!" the celestial mage yelped while enduring the wind, "Are _all_ Pokémon battles like this?!" she asked over the sound of the raging conflict. The smoke cleared to reveal a somewhat damaged spherical creature, who shook his head before glaring at his enemy.

"Freeze Dry!" his master commanded. A light blue ball of energy then formed above his partner's head, with two beams of light blue energy each connecting to the horns on his left and right. Then a beam of light blue, white, and purple aura was shot from the ball, striking his adversary and sending her crashing down to the ground as half of her body became frozen in ice.

"Sally!" the pink haired man cried out as the dust from the impact cleared, revealing that the Dragon Pokémon had managed to shatter the ice around her form, but still shivered from the chill she had felt.

"I ain't giving you the chance to relax!" Gray declared with a smirk, swinging out his arms, "Use Crunch!" he yelled. Making his teeth glow a bright white, Glalie dove down, about to chomp on his opponent.

"Flamethrower!" Natsu shouted quickly. Enveloping her mouth in flames, the Dragon/Flying type spewed a great deal of them at the one coming towards her, hitting him directly in the mouth and sending him careening back.

"Now Freeze Dry!" the demon slayer bellowed. Charging another ball of energy above his head after recovering, the Face Pokémon fired another blue, white, and purple beam of light at his enemy, who growled.

"Look out!" her master yelled, enticing her to fly up and avoid the attack as it struck the ground, "Use Dragon Rush!" he ordered. Streams of bright blue aura started to form around the Dragon Pokémon's body, as they grew and cover most of her body, with a black shadowy aura inside the bright blue aura while getting larger.

"Gyro Ball, again!" the ice wizard demanded, causing his comrade to have his horns glow a light blue once again, spinning around rapidly to make a ring form as he zoomed towards his foe.

"BRRRAAAAHHH!" the Salamence roared as she dashed out and collided with her adversary head on, causing sparks to fly all over the area.

"Ergh…" both trainers grunted while withstanding the force of the wind, as their partners became enveloped within an explosion of smoke.

"Holy crap!" Max Alors exclaimed with drops of sweat practically pouring down from his head, "This is amazing!" he pointed out.

"Mm-hmm," Mirajane concurred as she nodded, "Still, I'm surprised Salamence has able to hold out this long…" she admitted, catching the attention of the others.

"What do you mean?" Romeo asked while arching an eyebrow.

"Salamence is a Dragon and Flying type, and both of those types are weak to an Ice type like Glalie," the take-over wizard explained easily for everyone, "Natsu's got himself a counter for those Ice type attacks by having Salamence use Flamethrower, a Fire type move," she continued, "He's also playing to Salamence's strengths in attack over Glalie's," he mentioned, letting out a little giggle afterwards. The others just looked on in shock, completely dumbfounded by her brief, yet exact explanation.

"Use Dragon Rush one more time!" the fire dragon slayer commanded as he pumped his fist. Coming out of the veil of smoke, Sally was cloaked in the same aura as before, flying speedily back into it after her foe, who sensed her coming.

"Stop her with Freeze Dry!" Gray ordered, closing his right hand. Forming another ball of light in between his horns, the Ice type fired another blue, white, and purple beam of energy at his oncoming enemy, managing to hit his target head on. She pushed through it however as parts of her head were freezing up, striking him fiercely in an explosion of smoke.

"Hyper Beam!" the pink haired man bellowed.

"Ice Beam!" his rival cried out with a swing of his arm. The Face Pokémon charged up a ball of blue energy on his horns again, firing several zigzag beams of light into the cloud of smoke. A sphere of purple-black luminosity grew in front of the Dragon/Flying type's mouth before she reeled her head back, launching a gigantic ray of the light that collided with those from her adversary. They were at a deadlock until a massive explosion occurred at the point of connection, blowing by everyone fiercely as they braced themselves.

"Brraaahh…" the Dragon Pokémon growled as she landed back on the ground before her master, "BUURRRRAAAAAAAHHH!" she roared loudly. The black veil cleared to reveal that the spherical creature was fine, as only a few scrapes were across his icy body.

"Glay…" he grumbled, narrowing his eyes in contempt.

"Not bad, ice princess," the fiery Omni Force member complimented while folding his arms over his chest, "It's gonna take a lot more than that to stop Sally though," he mentioned with a smirk.

"Hmph," the demon slayer scoffed, grabbing the cross-shaped pendant of his necklace, "Guess it's time to kick it up a notch…" he realized, touching the stone upon his jewelry, causing it to suddenly unleash several streaks of yellow light. The Glalitite upon his comrade's band let out its own blue luminosities, which connected with those of the Key Stone's. They became a bright white, followed by the being becoming enveloped within a multicolored aura.

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed at the sight. Glalie let out a yell as his whole body began to transform. A third horn began protruding from his head as his jawline widened and became much more defined. When the light vanished in a burst of wind, his appearance had changed somewhat drastically. His mouth extended to the length of his face. The lower jaw was all black except for two light-blue, conical, icy spikes. The pupils in his eyes were now red instead of black, and the horns on top of his head had been partially turned into ice, with the addition of the third horn on his forehead.

"GLAAAYYY!" he bellowed, ready for battle as his opponent and her trainer gasped in shock.

"How's this?" Gray questioned, smirking all the while, "A Mega Evolution like Glalie's will wipe the floor with you!" he declared confidently. His rival just looked on, still shocked by the sudden morphing of the Face Pokémon.

"Can we… do that, too?" he wondered, remembering how Gingka had given him the exact same solid that rested in the palm of his right hand. Through those three long years of training, he had never attempted to utilize his partner's full power.

"Roah," Sally's voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked over to see her grin with a simple nod, taking off into the sky.

"Sal…" her master uttered before smiling, tossing the Key Stone up, "Yeah, we're ready!" he stated, catching the solid in his right hand, "MEGA EVOLVE!" he bellowed as streaks of golden light emerged from his closed extremity. The Salamencite unleashed blue luminosities as well, connecting with those of the other stone, shining a bright white.

"Wow…" Happy said in amazement, seeing the Salamence become basked within a multicolored aura, with her wings coming together, while other parts of her body transformed. When the light vanished, it revealed that her wings melded together into a single huge, crescent-shaped wing. Her face, neck, body and tail were narrower, and her tail was noticeably shorter in length. The ridges above her eyes were now far less prominent, and she no longer possessed the thick, gray scaling over her lower jaw. Instead, the smooth red flesh underneath had been left exposed, increasing her streamline appearance. The upper pair of fins resting on the sides of her head were now elongated and tapered. The lower pair had not changed much. However, the middle set now took the form of quarter-arches, spanning towards the bridge of the nose. The remnants of her shelled underbelly had been drastically transformed into a segmented, more aerodynamic, vest-like armored frame. Her front forelegs were tucked into the frame, as its pieces were interlocked, encasing the chest and shoulders.

"BRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHH!" she roared loudly as everyone watched in astonishment.

"Oh my gosh…" Lucy uttered, absolutely amazed by the presence of the two powerful beings.

"This is it, Gray!" Natsu declared with a pump of his fist, "Our first battle's gonna end with Sally's win!" he yelled confidently.

"Dream on, flame brain!" the demon slayer shouted back, getting into a ready stance, "Glalie's gonna win this one!" he stated. The two stared each other with smirks, as their Pokémon were ready.

"STEEL WING!" the fire dragon slayer roared.

"GYRO BALL!" the ice wizard shouted. With her crescent-shaped wing shining in a metal grey light, the Salamence glided speedily towards her foe, who had four light blue orbs appear at the end of each of his horns, spinning around quickly and causing two blue rings to form around his body. He and his foe flew by each other, clashing at every intersection with fierce sparks raining about. Everyone below began cheering, while Erza smiled, happy for her guild mates.

"BORRRRAAAHH!" the Dragon/Flying type bellowed as they continued clashing in midair.

"Glalie, Crunch!" the onyx haired man called out. The morphed spherical creature had his teeth glow a bright white, ceasing his spinning to chomp down on the wing of his enemy.

"Blow him off with Flamethrower!" the fiery Omni Force member yelled, enticing his partner to immediately turn her head to the left and spew out a torrent of fire from her mouth. It struck the Ice type right off of her, sending his careening back.

"Freeze Dry!" Gray commanded with a swing of his left arm. Forming another ball of energy upon his upper horns, the Mega Evolved Face Pokémon shot a beam of blue, white, and purple light toward his opponent.

"Flamethrower!" Natsu ordered quickly. Fire billowed up within the morphed Dragon Pokémon's mouth once more, followed her spewing more flames which intercepted the oncoming beam in an explosion of steam. "Keep it up!" her master cried out, "Dragon Rush!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist. Encasing herself within a bright blue aura once more, Sally zoomed out from the cloud, revealing the energy around her as she turned back to attack her target.

"Glalie, Ice Beam!" the opposing trainer yelled immediately. Another ball of energy formed in front of his teammate's large mouth, unleashing several zigzag streaks of light that struck his adversary head on, making her grit her teeth. However, she persevered through it, smashing straight into him in another blast of smoke.

"Go Sally! Go Natsu!" Happy cheered, hopping up and down. Lucy smiled at the sight, knowing that this wasn't exactly the same as before, but it felt like home to see a brawl between friends.

"Now Freeze Dry!" the demon slayer demanded. Once again, the morphed spherical creature formed another sphere of energy in between the horns on his head, firing a beam of blue, white, and purple light that struck his foe and froze her up completely within ice. She began plummeting down towards the earth, much to the shock of everyone.

"Sal!" her trainer screamed, seeing her continue to fall. He gnashed his teeth together in frustration at the scene, remembering how he had bonded with her for all those years while growing stronger. Looking back on those memories reminded him of his surrogate father, making him widen his eyes in realization.

' _Dad…_ ' he inwardly uttered, ' _She's just like you…_ ' he noted upon recognizing how she fell was the same way his parent did at the hands of Acnologia.

"SALLLYYY!" he roared, causing her to instantly widen her eyes within the ice, shattering it apart to free herself, gliding safely with the wind again to the surprise of everyone, "HYPER BEAM!" her master bellowed.

"BORRRAAAAAHHH!" she screeched, creating a purple-black ball of energy before her mouth that grew in size before unleashing a gigantic beam of the same light that hit her opponent in a massive explosion.

"Glay…!" he grunted after the smoke cleared from the blast, glaring at his foe.

"It's amazing how strong those two have gotten…" Juvia admitted, catching the attentions of the celestial and the exceed beside her, "Both for the sake of the guild, the rest of the world, and their family…" she listed off, clasping her hands together before herself as the creatures continued their midair clash.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed with a small smile, continuing to watch as the Salamence's wing shined in a metal grey light, zooming towards her enemy, who was spinning as two blue rings were around his form. They collided several times, blowing each other back as more scrapes became apparent on their bodies.

"Let's settle this!" both trainers yelled, getting into ready stances.

"Dragon Rush!" Natsu commanded.

"Gyro Ball!" Gray ordered. Both beings overhead let out battle cries, zooming toward each other. The Mega Evolved Dragon Pokémon had streams of bright blue aura started to form around her body, as they grew and cover most of it, with a black shadowy aura inside the bright blue one while getting larger. Meanwhile, her opponent had four light blue orbs appear at the end of each of his horns, spinning around quickly and causing two blue rings to form around his body. They rammed into each other with full force, making sparks fly all over the place as they were at a deadlock, trying to break through and win. All of a sudden, an explosion occurred right at the contact point of the impasse, enveloping both creatures as their masters could not see them.

"Sally!" the fire dragon slayer cried out, while everyone looked on at the sight, wondering what was to come. All of a sudden, a figure crashed into the earth below the smoke cloud. When the dust settled, it revealed the Dragon/Flying lying upon the ground in her original form, having swirls in her eyes.

"Rraaahh…" she moaned in pain. In the meantime, the veil above cleared to reveal that Glalie was just fine, shaking his head before transforming back to normal in a flash of light with scrapes all over his body.

"Glay!" he exclaimed delightedly, floating downwards.

"Sally!" the pink haired man yelled, immediately rushing over to her side as she attempted to stand up. A small grin came across Erza's face again before she raised her hand into the air.

"Salamence is unable to battle!" she bellowed, catching everyone's attention, "Therefore," she continued, gesturing towards the Ice type and his trainer, "Glalie is the winner, and the match goes to Gray!" she declared as they smiled.

"Awesome!" the ice wizard shouted, petting his partner as they laughed cheekily.

"You okay, Sal?" Natsu asked the Salamence as both Happy and Lucy jogged over.

"Rrraah…" she purred, nuzzling her head against his cheek in a reassuring manner, causing him to grin. The ones beside them smiled at the sight, glad that they weren't upset about the first loss as everyone else came over.

"That was incredible!" Levy McGarden exclaimed, clapping in applause.

"My darling and Glalie really gave it their all, didn't they?" Juvia guessed, making her crush smirk.

"Heck yeah, we did!" he responded boastfully as he pointed at himself, "I bet we could even beat Ash now!" he declared. His words brought out a giggle from Mirajane, causing him to glance over at her in confusion.

"I wouldn't get too overconfident, Gray…" she advised to him, "Ash is a lot stronger than you think," she mentioned as he blinked in surprise for a moment.

"Oh, come on," he retorted, folding his arms over his chest, "I could take him," he stated, "right, Juvia?" he questioned to the water wizard.

"Well… let's not set yourself on too high of a pedestal…" she replied honestly, shocking him as his eyes widened. Meanwhile, the Dragon/Flying type continued to be petted by her trainer, having formed a great bond with him.

 **X END STORY X**

"Dad did beat Gray eventually," Natalie mentioned after finishing the tale, "Nowadays, they just have battles for fun," she noted to the three girls before her.

"Wow, cool!" Leslie exclaimed as her eyes sparkled, "So… where are they now?" she asked curiously, glancing around the guild hall.

"Out on a job together," the pigtailed girl answered, "They tell me that they've gotten along really well since their fight in that war all those years ago…" she pointed out, much to the surprise of the three girls on the other side of the table.

"Here you go!" a voice suddenly chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked to see Kinana had given them their plates of food.

"Thanks!" they all said in gratitude, partaking in their meals with excited grins on their faces.

"Family sure is a great thing, isn't it?" Rachael guessed before taking a bite of her mashed potatoes, catching the attention of the half-rainbow haired girl beside her. She then glanced over towards the bar counter, spotting a familiar face.

"Yeah," she agreed, taking her plate and standing up, walking over to the counter.

"Raya?" the requip user uttered in confusion, wondering what she was doing. Over at the bar finishing a small glass of wine was Cana Alberona, who perked up upon hearing the footsteps of someone approaching.

"Well, well…" she repeated with a small grin as she saw the Tennyson girl, "How's my favorite god kid been?" she asked, seeing her sit upon the stool beside her.

"Great, Cana," she responded, "It's good to see you, too," she added, chuckling with her as the four females from afar watched on, smiling at their friend.

 **END**

 **Tough break that Natsu lost his first battle to Gray, who I'm sure I surprised you with, but hey, he's still learning. And wouldn't you know, Glalie and Sally knew each other! I wonder how that could have happened?**

 **Now onto some important news before the next chapter summary. As of the semester, my goal is to complete "Volcanion & The Mechanical Marvel" before moving onto any other content. I am going to reserve my summer for "** **Pokémon Sun & Moon: The Challenge of a Lifetime" and "Omni Force: WAR". Should the chance arise that I could work on something else before summer starts, it'd be more of this, plus "Going Wild" and "Evolution". "The Five" will be saved for another occasion. **

**So as long as no one has any hard feelings, "Volcanion & The Mechanical Marvel" will be what I work through the rest of the semester. With that all said, let's dive into the summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Now that they're officially dating, Naruto and Hinata are the talk of the Leaf Village! As embarrassed and humble as they are, they then receive an offer from Ben about an opportunity to grow stronger as Pokémon trainers. Reuniting with Gallade and Medicham respectively, the new couple is about to experience firsthand the goals that they'll be aiming to achieve!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Now it's time for Naruto and Hinata to shine! It may be a while before the next chapter, but I promise it won't be too long. See you later!**


	12. Naruto & Hinata's Journey PART I

**Ready for more action with Mega Evolution? I didn't get too many responses from the last chapter, but from the looks of things, I think it turned okay for everyone. Anyways, on to this chapter!**

 **This is the first I'm really going into a Naruto-based setting since "Chikara: A Hidden Love", one of my earlier fics centering on Ben X Hinata. But of course, the canon pairing here is Naruto X Hinata. I was really excited to find out that the two had gotten together from "The Last", and they're now getting married in the actual series! YAY!**

 **Ahem. I was a longtime fan of the pairing, so I couldn't just do this section of the story with them separated… That's why this will be a two-parter centering on them getting used to the idea of being a couple while training with their old partners. The first half will be more focused on Hinata, while the second will look at Naruto.**

 **With all that explained and set aside, let's get into it!**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

"Hello, Leaf Village~!" Leslie sang as she, Raya, and Rachael were standing outside the gates to the large city, with the stone faces of the previous and current Hokage up on the mountainside, where taller buildings were located. After their visit to Fairy Tail ended with them having an enjoyable afternoon with both Alice Fullbuster and Natalie Dragneel, they decided to head off and learn about the tales of Mega Evolution from the married Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. As they ventured into the village though, they were astonished by the lively activity of denizens around them.

"How the heck did this place get like this in just ten years?" the requip user asked while touring the area with her friends.

"My dad says he helped out with design plans and construction since most of this was based off of cities back in my universe," the half-rainbow haired girl responded as an explanation, "In fact, he made most of these buildings himself thanks to his fusion transformations," she mentioned with a smile.

"So how the heck are we gonna find missus Hyuga?" the Pokémon trainer asked, folding her arms behind her head as she caught the attentions of her friends.

"Isn't it missus Uzumaki since she's married?" the Equestrian magic user questioned back as she arched an eyebrow.

"But she's still a part of the Hyuga clan…" the Hagane girl pointed out.

"Ugh…" the white haired female groaned as she grabbed at her head from both sides, "All this last name talk is hurting my brain…" she complained, evidently dizzy from thinking about it. Her friends just laughed nervously, letting sweat roll down from their heads.

"I guess we should just find Boruto first before we find her," Rachael suggested with a shrug.

"Knowing him, that'll be easy…" Raya replied as a blank expression came across her face, "He's just as prank crazy as my bratty brother used to be…" she noted while placing her hand against her head out of annoyance.

"I don't think it'll be that easy for you three," a voice suddenly chimed in, catching their attentions as they all perked up, "Knowing that he's a ninja, he's pretty stealthy…" she mentioned, making them all look around to locate the source.

"Wh-Who was that?" Leslie stammered in question, somewhat frightened as she and the Tennyson girl glanced around quickly. The requip user with them just let off a grin, summoning forth a sword into her right hand.

"I can hear you…" she uttered, turning around and throwing the weapon, making it pierce into a wooden pole as her pals glanced over immediately upon hearing it splinter. They then looked up and gasped in surprise to see the familiar face atop the pole. It was a girl with onyx eyes and hair that was shoulder length, parted to the right, and tucked behind her ears. A pair of red framed glasses adorned her eyes, while her bangs hung over her red forehead protector. For clothes, she was wearing a red, sleeveless qipao shirt with a crest on the back. She also bore a pair of light-colored shorts, dark purple thigh-length stockings, black shinobi sandals, and long dark purple arm warmers.

"Are all Haganes good listeners?" she inquired to the scarlet haired girl as she leapt down, while the weapon thrown disappeared in a flash of light.

"My dad always told me that your ears are your best friends if your eyes can't help," she responded with a wide, cheeky grin.

"Nice to see you too, Rachael," Sarada replied as she smiled herself, "So you're with Leslie and…? Huh?" she uttered, interjecting her own sentence upon noticing the Equestrian magic user, "Are you… Raya?" she guessed as her eyes were widening out of shock.

"In the flesh," she jokingly answered, making her gasp in surprise.

"What happened to you?" she asked, blinking rapidly.

"It's… a long story," the Tennyson girl replied as she placed her hand onto the ninja's shoulder, "Why don't we catch up over lunch?" she recommended, going off with her and the rest of the girls deeper into the village. A while later, they ended up at a fast food restaurant where they sat together in a booth, each having a tray of a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink.

"Oh boy!" the Pokémon trainer exclaimed excitedly before taking a gigantic bite of her sandwich, blushing happily as she chewed it.

"So you got your Equestrian magic now?" the Uchiha girl inquired before eating a fry.

"Yeah," the half-rainbow haired girl replied, "Though getting it wasn't exactly the best thing…" she admitted to her surprise, while the other two there just glanced at each other nervously.

"Anyways…" the requip user began, changing the subject, "congrats on officially becoming a genin!" she complimented to the shinobi.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Leslie concurred, "So who's on your team?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Boruto and Mitsuki," Sarada answered as she placed her hand upon her head, "I gotta say, I wasn't _too_ thrilled about teaming up with him after what we went through in the academy," she confessed before letting off a grin, "but he's really starting to grow on me," she added, chuckling a little.

"Oh~?" the white haired girl sang as she smirked with an arched eyebrow, "How so?" she questioned saucily, causing the glasses wearing girl to blush out of embarrassment.

"Les, knock it off," Rachael said, bonking her on the head with her left fist and making her grimace in pain, "I just hope Boruto isn't causing you too much trouble…" she noted to her ninja friend, who just grinned.

"It's all right," she reassured as a reply, "Konohamaru Sensei's been making sure we're all in tiptop shape for the upcoming Chunin Exams," she explained to them, much to their surprise as they looked over at her.

"The Chunin Exams?" Raya uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they're coming up soon," the Uchiha girl responded as she turned to face her, "I even heard your dad participated a couple times," she mentioned while glancing up at the ceiling for a moment.

"The first time was when he met mister Uzumaki…" the Equestrian magic user realized, placing her hand onto her chin.

"You mean Lord Seventh?" the glasses wearing female guessed to get her attention along with those of the others, "By the way," she kept going, "what are the three of you doing here anyway?" she asked on to them.

"We're learning about the stories of Mega Evolution from the members of the Omni Force!" the Pokémon trainer responded quickly as she stood up excitedly.

"We were hoping to run into Lord Seventh or missus… Uzumaki-Hyuga to hear about their stories," the requip user added in a much calmer manner.

"Mega Evolution, huh?" Sarada uttered, pushing her glasses back up to her eyes, "I know both of my parents can do that," she pointed out, "but I've never heard any stories from them…" she admitted with narrowed eyes, "Sounds to me like those stories are really something," she noted as she smiled.

"Are they ever!" Leslie concurred loudly, catching the attentions of a pair of figures that had just walked into the restaurant, "Mega Evolution might be overrated in my eyes, but the stories themselves are amazing!" she exclaimed as she cheekily chuckled.

"Mommy, look!" a voice cried out, causing the group of girls to perk up and turn to see the people that were there. One was a young girl who had dark-blue hair that she was wearing with straight bangs and a hime-cut. Her hair flared out on the sides and back, and she had an ahoge atop her head, which resembled the stem of a leaf. She also had blue eyes and whisker markings on each cheek. For clothes, she was wearing a light yellow long-sleeved hooded-sweater with a blue shirt underneath that had a petal-like pattern, and a two-layered pink flutter skirt. She also bore long, black open-toed stockings and fuchsia shinobi sandals upon her feet.

The woman with her had the same kind of hime-cut hair with straight bangs that was shoulder length. Her clothing consisted of a light purple, short-sleeved jacket with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, light brown shorts, and purple open-toed boots. A noticeable trait of her appearance was the fact that her eyes had a tint of lavender without any distinct features like pupils. She was admittedly surprised to see the females there, but then smiled as they did the same.

"It's nice to see all of you together like this," she said moments later as she and her daughter sat down with the group, waiting for their own food, "So you're wondering about my Medicham and her Mega Evolution?" she inquired to the trio of multiversal guests.

"Yeah," Rachael answered after taking a sip of her soda through a straw, "We also wanted to know about your husband's Mega Evolution," she mentioned, much to her surprise as she blinked.

"What's Mega Evolution?" Himawari asked with a curious tilt of her head. Her mother just grinned, glancing outside to see the Hokage Monument where the stone face of her beloved was.

 **NARUTO & HINATA'S JOURNEY PART I**

"Ah…!" Naruto moaned delightedly after standing up from his seat at Ichiraku's, "Thanks for the meal!" he said in gratitude before exiting the ramen shop. Hinata smiled as she too got up from her seat, following her new boyfriend out as she took his bandaged right hand into her left one, walking with him along the dirt road through the village. The couple had just gone on their first date. Although the jinchuriki wanted to take his girlfriend to someplace a little more fancy, he was a little short on money, which she noticed thanks to her Byakugan. Regardless, they seemed happy with how their day was going.

"So… what do you want to do now?" the female of the pair asked, catching his attention as he looked over at her.

"Well… uh…" he started to say, nervously scratching his cheek with his left index finger, "I kinda spent all I had on lunch, so…" he kept going, grinning cheekily out of embarrassment. She just giggled at his silliness, continuing to walk along with him.

"Maybe we could go the park," she suggested with a small grin.

"Is that what you'd do with Ben?" the blonde haired man inquired to her, making her perk up in surprise.

"He and I usually went out to get smoothies," she replied, trying to suppress another giggle, "You think that knowing what we did will help?" she implied as she actually cracked a smirk, causing him to immediately blush on the spot.

"Uh… I dunno…" he responded while rubbing the back of his head, "I mean, you and he went out for a while, so…" he tried to mention, only to be cut off by her laughs again. Never before did he seem so flustered, while she was never as jubilant. A while passed before the couple arrived at the park, sitting down at a bench together and watching kids play hopscotch and jump rope. Hinata was happy to see the world at peace, especially after the worldwide incident surrounding the moon potentially descending to Earth. After several events took place that led to the planet's salvation from the catastrophe, she and her longtime crush finally became an item, as the latter of the two confessed his true feelings to her. She hadn't been as happy as she was now, being beside him.

"You know, Naruto…" she began, catching his attention as he glanced over at her, "I'm glad that we got to meet people like Ben, Ash, Gingka, Rex, and everyone else over the years…" she confessed as she looked up at the sky, "I wonder how different things will be now that we're a couple," she added, much to his surprise as he blinked.

"Knowing the guys," he started to reply while placing his hand against the right side of his head, "they'll probably egg me on for not being with you sooner…" he noted, causing her to giggle once more.

"Probably," she agreed, embarrassing him again as he turned away and blushed a bright red. However, his eyes caught the sight of someone approaching them, surprising him as he saw who it was.

"Hey there Ben!" he greeted, making his new girlfriend perk up and smile to see the Omni Force leader there, donning his white shirt with the large green stripe down the middle and a green collar, green cargo pants that included a belt and kneepads, and the Biomnitrix gauntlets upon his arms. His facial hair was a small goatee, but a shadow appeared to be forming upon it as he went up to his teammates.

"Hope I'm not interrupting the first date," he joked as he stopped, chuckling with them afterwards, "How've you been since that whole thing with Toneri?" he asked the pair as they glanced at each other.

"Just fine," Naruto answered cheekily, folding his arms behind his head, "What about you?" he questioned back, "You and Rainbow finally get going on a commitment?" he inquired with a smirk, only earning a blank stare back from the brunette haired man.

"Funny," he uttered back bluntly, "Anyways, I wanted to talk with you guys about something," he told them, causing the couple to look over at one another in confusion. Moments later, they were all gathered at a picnic table where four objects were placed. They were a pair of necklaces that had multicolored stones attached to them, each with curved shapes inside of them that were reminiscent of a double helix. The other things there were two bracelets that had similar solids embedded into them as well. One was a bright blue with its curved shape having pink, yellow, and a tint of orange as its coloring, while the other was a pale white stone with green and pink in its curve.

"Hey… I recognize this…" Hinata said, picking up one of the necklaces and holding it in her hand, "The same thing was on that ring around Ash's wrist when we last met him…" she recalled, remembering the distinct blue ring he had.

"But… what are they?" her boyfriend questioned, arching an eyebrow as his arms were crossed over his chest.

"They're called Key Stones," Ben replied, gesturing towards the necklaces, "Ash and Gingka use them to Mega Evolve their Pokémon when they've got Mega Stones like these," he explained as he pointed to the bracelets, one of which was picked up by the jinchuriki. He eyed it in wonder, noticing how the solid's color scheme reminded him of something from his past.

"So why are you giving these to us?" the Hyuga heiress asked their squadron leader as she took the one placed in front of her.

"Gingka recommended it," he answered, reaching down to his belt with his right hand, "Apparently, everyone's been getting into the whole Mega Evolution shtick for a while now," he mentioned to them, much to their surprise as their eyes widened, "Rainbow, Sunset, Natsu, Rex, Rook… even me," he listed off with a smug smirk, "Of course, my sweetheart's got a one-up on me since it's been a while…" he admitted, chuckling afterwards with his comrades.

"It's been a while for us, too," Naruto noted, glancing over at the girl beside him, "I think the last time we actually battled was during the Unova League, right?" he guessed, earning a nod from her as she grinned.

"That was when Gingka won for the first time, too!" she pointed out while smiling, causing her beloved to do the same.

"Well, it's been _quite_ a while for these guys," the Biomnitrix bearer chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him place two enlarged Poké Balls onto the table.

"Are those… our Pokémon?" the Byakugan user inquired, taking the one that was in front of her into her hands.

"Straight from Professor Rowan in Sinnoh," Ben added as an answer, making them both perk up, "I got my Sceptile back from him, too," he mentioned while rubbing the back of his head nervously, "Though it's been slow going between us…" he admitted out of embarrassment, blushing a little as the pair of shinobi looked at him in surprise, "Anyways, Rowan said they're really happy about seeing you guys again," he told them, causing them to look at the spherical containments with wonder in their eyes. The one in Hinata's hands was tossed up into the air just seconds later, popping open. The light that poured out from it formed onto the ground, dissipating to reveal a Medicham.

"Cham?" she uttered in surprise, blinking before turning to see the Hyuga heiress, "Chamu!" she exclaimed happily as she went up to her former master and embraced her warmly.

"Oh, it's good to see you, too!" she responded, hugging her back with a bright smile on her face. Seeing their reunion made Naruto grin happily as he took hold of his own containment, standing up from his seat.

"Wonder who you brought for me…" he muttered to his team leader with a chuckle, throwing the ball-like object up into the air. It opened up, and the luminosity that came out spilled onto the ground, shaping into form until it dissipated to reveal a Gallade there lying on one knee.

"Gal?" he said, standing up and turning around to notice the jinchuriki.

"Gallade, huh?" he guessed, placing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, "How've ya been?" he asked him.

"Gal…" he uttered as he glanced off to the side in an ashamed manner, surprising his trainer as he blinked.

"Yeah, he's been like that ever since he knew he was coming back to you," the Biomnitrix bearer explained as he stood up from his seat, "At least you're not getting beat up by your partner like I did," he mentioned, much to the shock of the blonde haired man as he gasped a little.

"We haven't seen these two since we traveled through Sinnoh…" Hinata pointed out as she came over to the gentlemen with her Psychic/Fighting type.

"That was back when I almost won the league if it weren't for that guy with the Darkrai…" her boyfriend grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest, pouting a little, "Can't believe Ash was the only guy who even left a mark on him…" he added in frustration. Seeing his reaction caused the Blade Pokémon to look down, remembering his own efforts during the tournament that did not contribute as much as he would have liked.

"Lay…" he muttered, trotting over to a bench and sitting upon it without another word.

"So… the Key Stones and the Mega Stones…" the kunoichi began as she changed the subject, "They're the things we need for Mega Evolution, right?" she guessed, getting a nod in reply from her ex.

"A Key Stone for the trainer, and a Mega Stone for the Pokémon," he listed off to them as he went over and placed his left hand onto Naruto's shoulder, "It shouldn't take you guys too long since you're pretty close with your Pokémon, too," he noted, much to the confusion of the Hyuga heiress as she blinked.

"Close?" she uttered, "What do you mean by that?" she questioned to him.

"The big thing about Mega Evolution is having a close bond between trainer and Pokémon," he explained as a reply, causing the couple to look over at their respective creatures, "You guys should be fine with how you are with yours," he kept going, "but it might not be a bad idea to do some training first," he recommended, folding his arms over his chest.

"A close bond…" Hinata uttered, staring over at Medicham in wonder. The jinchuriki looked towards his own partner, seeing him still sulking on the bench.

"I think you guys are gonna turn out to be great trainers again," the Omni Force leader stated, about to head off, "Better yet," he continued while smirking, "you're gonna be a great couple," he noted jokingly, making the Byakugan user blush on the spot.

"Oh, hey Ben!" the blonde haired man yelped, catching the attention of the Biomnitrix bearer as he saw him come up to him, "Any idea on what I should do with Hinata?" he asked him in a quiet whisper, "I'm kinda short on cash right now…" he sheepishly admitted. His friend just smirked, elbowing his arm in a playful manner.

"Just make her smile," he advised, walking off afterwards. The male shinobi was a bit stunned by his response, turning back and blushing upon seeing both his girlfriend and her teammate giggling at him. Meanwhile, Gallade just looked up at the clouds passing by, wondering how things would go after reuniting with his master.

 **X**

The next day, the Byakugan user woke up in her dormitory of her clan's household, dressing herself into her mission gear. As she set her hair up into a ponytail, her door slid open, catching her attention as she saw her sister standing there.

"Hi big sis!" she greeted cheerfully with a wave, "Did your first date go well?" she inquired with a smirk, making her blush slightly before pulling off a grin.

"It was nice," she replied as she finished her ponytail thanks to the band she had used, looking into the mirror to make sure she had done it properly, "I've never felt so happy before…" she admitted, while her face flushed a bright pink.

"Hey, what's that?" Hanabi asked, catching her attention as she saw her pointing towards the necklace she had been gifted with yesterday lying on a small dresser.

"Oh, that's something I got from Ben the other day," Hinata replied as she went over and grabbed it, placing it around her neck.

"Ben?" her sibling uttered in confusion, "As in your ex-boyfriend Ben?" she asked on, narrowing her eyes, "What exactly have you been up to lately?" she questioned in an interrogative manner, much to the surprise of the heiress as she blinked.

"Ben's my friend, Hanabi," she reassured while putting her hand onto the fashionable girl's head, "Besides," she continued, "you know that I love Naruto through and through," she stated without a hint of embarrassment or falseness in her voice, much to brunette haired girl's surprise, "I have to go and do some training now," she told her, grabbing both her Poké Ball and the bracelet with the Medichamite before heading out of the room.

"Wow…" her little sister said afterwards, stunned by how calm and unflustered she seemed, "Does being with a guy like that really change you?" she wondered. Later outside, the esteemed Byakugan user sent out her partner Pokémon from her containment as they were in the courtyard of the household.

"All right Medicham…" she began to her, catching her attention, "let's see what you've learned," she advised.

"Med!" she responded cheerfully, bringing the palms of her hands together. A pinkish aura wafted from her form as she breathed in and out slowly.

' _Calm Mind…_ ' her trainer realized upon noticing, followed by seeing her forming a purple stream of energy between her hands. She then shot a beam of the aura up into the sky, having it explode beautifully in a purple firework.

"Psyshock!" the Hyuga heiress exclaimed as she witnessed the leftover sparkles from the attack float down, "That was great!" she complimented, causing her comrade to sheepishly blush. She regained her focus however, closing her right hand into a fist as a cold aura wafted off from it.

"Cham!" she screamed as she punched at the air around her, making the ground frost up a little. Her owner continued to watch on, still wondering about the explanation she had heard from the Omni Force leader. She and the Meditate Pokémon had not been together for quite a while, and they only met thanks to her beloved introducing them to each other. Her thoughts were halted as she then saw her teammate palming around herself, shooting out small bursts of air.

"Hm," she hummed with a smile, "Why don't we try working on that Force Palm of yours?" she recommended, catching her attention as she turned to face her, seeing her getting into a ready stance, "Focus on keeping your knees bent and your back straight…" she advised, enticing her to nod and take the same position, "If you want more power," she continued, "you should try to aim and then strike as fast as you can," she explained to her.

"Cha!" she responded, readying herself. They both reeled their right arms back, suddenly throwing them out to create a huge burst of wind that blew wildly throughout the courtyard. When it subsided, the two beings there looked at each other in amazement before the human let out a laugh.

"Well, that proves you haven't been getting rusty after all these years," she noted, making Medicham blush again out of flattery.

"Ch-Chamu…" she stuttered while rubbing the back of her head. Her trainer went up to her and squatted down, placing her hands onto her shoulders.

"Medicham," she started to say, "I promise that we'll grow stronger together," she assured as she smiled, much to the surprise of the Psychic/Fighting type as her eyes trembled.

"Med!" she concurred happily. They then continued their training by sparring with each other, throwing out their palms and blocking one another's attacks with their arms. Watching from afar was Hanabi and Hiashi Hyuga, smiling at the girl's perseverance through her endeavors.

"Ah…" a tired Naruto yawned before he took a pair of chopsticks and slurped down the ramen noodles he had prepared for himself. He was sitting at a table in his house, enjoying his breakfast as Gallade was outside on the balcony, overlooking the Leaf Village with a stoic expression upon his face.

"Gal…" he breathed out, wondering what was to come for him and his master.

"Hey, Gallade!" the latter's voice cried out, catching his attention before he walked back inside, blinking in surprise to see another cup of ramen sitting upon the tabletop with a pair of unused chopsticks beside it, "Want some breakfast?" his owner guessed with a cheeky chuckle.

"Gallay…" the Blade Pokémon groaned, placing his right hand against his head. Moments later, he too ended up having the same meal as the blonde haired man. While he did enjoy the flavorful taste of it, he knew that it was unhealthy for him to consume it in any large amount. Yet he still didn't understand why the one before him ate so much.

"You excited to get started on trainin'?" he asked him, making him perk up for a moment as he blinked.

"G-Gal…" he answered as he stuttered, nodding a little.

"It's okay if you're nervous," the shinobi reassured as he stood up from his chair and let out a burp, "I'm still pretty surprised that we're together again like this," he admitted, shocking the humanoid creature there slightly as he saw him throw out the cup his noodles were in and the chopsticks that he ate with.

"Gal lay," his partner agreed, slurping down the last of his noodles and the soup they had been immersed in, "Gal!" he shouted to make his trainer perk up, "Gallay, gal, gal ade!" he declared with a fierceness in his tone.

"Heh," Naruto chuckled in realization, grabbing his black jacket, "All right Gallade…" he uttered, getting his regular mission gear on, "Let's get to it!" he stated, receiving a nod in reply from the Psychic/Fighting type.

 **X**

After a while, the Blade Pokémon and his master had arrived at the old genin training ground, seeing the targets that were placed upon the wooden poles lodged into the earth.

"Gal…" the former of the two began, reeling his arms back as they glowed a bright pink, "LADE!" he bellowed upon throwing them out, unleashing several crescent-shaped blades of energy struck each target in their centers, making them explode in a blast of smoke.

"Nice one!" the jinchuriki complimented, causing his comrade to crack a smirk, "So you got anything else to show me?" he inquired to him as he arched an eyebrow.

"Gal," he responded with a nod, suddenly making his bladed arms glow a bright green as they sharpened, swinging them around wildly. He then slashed through a tree and had it collapse right behind him, much to the surprise of his owner as he widened his eyes and laughed. What followed was his teammate punching and kicking at the air around him at a rapid pace.

"So Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade, and Close Combat…" he listed off to himself, placing his bandaged hand upon his chin, "You've got one more move, right?" he questioned. The humanoid creature perked up in surprise at the question, turning around and grimacing slightly, confusing him as he tilted his head to the side. He then saw him stick his hands out, clenching his teeth together tightly as he began to form a yellow orb of energy upon them.

"Guh… gal…" he grunted, appearing to be in pain from trying the move as sweat dripped down from his head. The shinobi just looked on curiously, knowing that what he was doing was something he had practiced with most of his own Pokémon in the past. However, as the sphere itself grew to a large size, it suddenly burst into nothing but thin air. "Gal…" its user groaned as he fell to the ground on his rear end, breathing heavily.

"I get it," the ninja realized, going over to his comrade, "You didn't wanna show me your Focus Blast because you haven't mastered it yet, right?" he guessed as he offered his hand to him.

"Ga…" he responded shamefully, taking the extremity with his own and getting up onto his feet.

"You need to relax and stop thinking that I'm gonna be mad you messed up," Naruto advised, taking a step back before showing the being his prosthetic hand. All of a sudden, a bright orange sphere of energy appeared upon it, much to the astonishment of Gallade.

"Ga gallay?!" he stuttered in question, blinking rapidly.

"It's been a few years, hasn't it?" the jinchuriki implied rhetorically, letting the Rasengan dissipate into thin air, "Just relax and try your Focus Blast again," he told him.

"Lay…" he replied nervously, sticking out his right hand and forming another orb of yellow light. It was significantly smaller than the one he tried to use earlier, but it still pained him to attempt as he gritted his teeth.

"That's it," his master pointed out, making him perk up slightly, "Now go ahead," he advised, gesturing towards a large rock off to the side. Reeling his arm back, the Blade Pokémon threw the sphere at it. Upon contact, the rock exploded instantly into a cloud of dust.

"Guh…" the attacker groaned as he lowered his arms, evidently fatigued.

"Guess we gotta work on your stamina," the shinobi noted with a sigh, crossing his fingers into a cross shape. Puffs of smoke suddenly appeared around the area, surprising the humanoid creature as he blinked rapidly, glancing around to see them dissipate and reveal several copies of the man.

"G-Gallay…" he stammered, understanding what needed to be done as he took a ready stance. The clones lunged out towards him, roaring as they drew kunai and shuriken to attack.

 **X**

Crickets chirped that evening outside the homes in the Leaf Village. Hinata was fast asleep in her divan, snoozing without too much of a sound. Her extensive training with Medicham had tuckered her out quite a bit as her teammate was actually watching her sleep from afar.

"Cham…" she uttered happily, glad to be back at her side after so long. However, something else was plaguing her mind as she looked out to see the clear night sky. The stars that shined brightly along with what remained of the moon illuminated the city. She then stood up from where she had been sitting, tiptoeing her way outside after sliding the door open. Meanwhile, Naruto was snoring loudly as Gallade was out on the balcony, letting his arms rest upon the railing as they were covered with bruises and scrapes. Despite his efforts during his training session, he still couldn't perfect his Focus Blast. While his frustration didn't show, he did feel upset that his hard work hadn't paid off. He looked out into the distance before stepping up onto the railing, jumping from building to building. He ventured onwards until he spotted his fellow Psychic/Fighting type watching the stars from a water tower.

"Gallay?" he questioned, leaping over to the edifice it was upon, "Ga, gallay lay!" he cried out upon landing, catching the attention of the Meditate Pokémon.

"Med, chamu!" she greeted with a wave, smiling all the while. Moments later, they were both sitting upon the surface of the tower, watching the bustling traffic of people in the village below.

"Gal lay…" the bladed creature of the two said, somewhat surprised by the immense population as the one beside him giggled.

"Cha chamu?" she inquired to him, causing him to blush before turning his head away.

"Lade, gal…" he stated, putting his hands onto his knees.

"Cham?" Medicham uttered in confusion before taking notice of the marks along his body, "Cha… chamu med chamu?!" she asked out of immediate worry.

"Gallay gal," he reassured as he glanced down at the scrapes, "Lay gal gallay lay," he told her, making her blink in surprise.

"Chamu?" she questioned, reaching her left hand over to take hold of his, much to his embarrassment as he blushed madly.

"G-Gallay…" he stammered while taking his extremity away. His fellow Psychic/Fighting type blinked in surprise, noticing his downcast look as he looked at the people below them. Down there, a young lady was leaning against another guy in a romantic manner, much to her surprise as her eyes widened slightly. She then looked back over at her close friend, slowly arching herself towards him until her head rested onto his shoulder.

"Cham…" she uttered happily, smiling as she closed her eyes while causing him to perk up see her there. He blushed madly again, wanting to push her away like before. However, he saw the content look on her face, which reminded him of how happy his master and his girlfriend seemed when they were together. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, keeping her close and grinning as they watched the night go on together. The next day, both creatures were back to training alongside their owners. They continued to perfect their moves while also bonding with Naruto and Hinata respectfully. Every once in a while, they would meet up to gaze at the stars together when their trainers were asleep. It was as if they were a couple themselves.

"GALLAY!" Gallade exclaimed as he launched another large yellow orb of energy from both of his hands on the genin training grounds the next, letting it slam into a giant rock, which exploded into nothing but dust upon impact. He was stunned at his newfound control, glancing down at his arms with trembling eyes.

"Looks like you've got it down," the jinchuriki noted, folding his arms over his chest while smirking as he caught his partner's attention, seeing him standing from afar, "There's just one thing left to do…" he pointed out, looking up at the bright blue sky. A day later, he entered the Hyuga clan household alongside him, as the Psychic/Fighting type was now bearing the bracelet with the Galladite on his left arm.

"I'll be going now, father!" a familiar voice cried out, catching their attentions as they saw Hinata rush out, donning her usual mission attire. She spotted the pair at the entrance, smiling as she went up to them. "Naruto!" she said in greeting, "So your training's all done?" she inquired to him.

"Yep!" he responded with a cheeky smile, "Bet you're done, too!" he mentioned, causing her to giggle as a light blush formed across her cheeks.

"Do you want to get Ichiraku's for lunch?" she asked.

"Sure!" the blonde haired man replied eagerly, "It'll be my treat!" he declared, pointing at himself.

"Gah…" Gallade groaned as he placed his left hand onto his head out of exasperation, knowing that his master was pretty short on money.

"Chamu!" another voice yelled, making him perk up as he looked to see Medicham coming, "Med cham?" she questioned to her fellow Pokémon as a greeting, making him crack a grin.

"Gallay gal," he answered before they all set off together, with the latter pair walking behind the Omni Force couple.

 **X**

"You want us to battle _each other_?!" the Hyuga heiress loudly questioned with a definite look of shock on her face.

"Yeah, why not?" her boyfriend retorted as he arched an eyebrow, "We're both getting back into the groove, so I figured we could see how things go if we duke it out against each other," he explained before slurping down his noodles thanks to his chopsticks, sheepishly smiling.

"W-Well…" Hinata stammered, fidgeting with her fingers shyly as another blush appeared upon her, "h-how about we... battle at the training grounds?" she suggested to him, "That way, there's no… collateral damage…" she mentioned jokingly, making him crack a chuckle.

"You got it, Hinata," he replied, wrapping his right arm around her and pulling her close in a yelp, much to her embarrassment as her entire face was red. She managed to giggle though, somewhat excited by the prospect of battling the jinchuriki. Meanwhile, the Blade Pokémon looked on with an expression of concern, glancing back at his fellow Psychic/Fighting type as she was enjoying a plate of gyoza that had been ordered for them. He then noticed the Medichamite upon her bracelet at her left arm, followed by him looking at his own Mega Stone. A moment of silence passed before a resolute expression came across his face.

"Gal lay," he said as he stood up, catching the attentions of the others.

"Cham?" the Meditate Pokémon uttered in confusion while tilting her head to the side. Later that day, they all arrived at the training grounds. The field itself was still torn up from the work done over the past few weeks, but still seemed usable.

"Looks like you've been doing well…" the Byakugan user noted as she and her teammate glanced around the area.

"Yeah," her boyfriend replied with his hands stuffed into his pockets, "Ya know, Hinata…" he continued, "I… kinda feel bad that I've been giving you the short end of the stick lately…" he admitted while rubbing the back of his head.

"Naruto?" she questioned as she blinked, while Medicham was just as confused.

"The truth is I wanna be a great boyfriend for you, so… uh…" the blonde haired man kept going, scratching his cheek nervously with his right index finger as he didn't know what else to say. His beloved grinned, trotting up to him and pecking his lips with her own.

"You don't have to try and be the perfect boyfriend you _think_ you should be," she told him afterwards, while his eyes were widened and trembling, "I love you for who you are, Naruto," she confessed to him as her cheeks were a rosy red, "And I always will…" she added, embracing him warmly.

"Heh," he chuckled before letting off a smile, "I feel like the biggest idiot for not knowing how you felt for so long…" he pointed out, brushing her cheek gently with his right hand. Their respective partners smiled at their interaction, but Gallade started to seem annoyed as it appeared they were taking up quite a bit of time.

"Gal!" he suddenly fake coughed, causing them to perk up and jerk away from each other.

"Guess we should get going on our battle…" his trainer realized with a smirk as he placed his hands at his hips. Moments later, the couple took opposite sides of the field with their comrades beside them, prepared for incoming conflict.

"Chamu!" the Meditate Pokémon exclaimed excitedly as she jumped out before her owner. Her future foe just stepped forward, getting into a ready stance.

"Let's do this, Hinata!" the jinchuriki cried out, swinging his arm. She nodded in response, closing her hands into fists.

"Right!" she agreed, "Medicham, Calm Mind!" she called out to her teammate.

"Cham!" she replied as put her hands together gently, closing her eyes as a pink aura wafted off of her form.

' _So they're powering up, huh?_ ' the shinobi on the opposite side inwardly inquired, ' _In that case, it's time for us to shine!_ ' he declared through his thoughts.

"Use Leaf Blade!" he commanded as he pumped his right fist. Making his bladed arms glow a bright green and sharpen, his comrade ran forwards and leapt up, diving at his foe.

"Block it with Force Palm!" the Byakugan user yelled. Her Psychic/Fighting type instantly opened her eyes, sliding her right foot back and readying her palm.

"CHAM!" she exclaimed loudly, throwing it out in an instant to intercept her opponent's attack, blowing him back with a burst of air to follow as he landed back on the ground.

"Whoa," Naruto uttered afterwards with a blink of his eyes.

' _Since Hinata's technique is the Gentle Fist, it shouldn't be a surprise that Force Palm's her go-to move…_ ' he explained to himself, ' _So we better try something else…_ ' he realized.

"Psycho Cut!" he ordered. Gallade made his arms glow a bright pink-purple, swinging them out to unleash several crescent-shaped blades of energy. They were heading for his adversary, who kept a stoic expression upon her face.

"Use Psyshock!" her trainer shouted. She then started to form a purple stream of energy in between her hands, followed by releasing it in several streaks of light that countered each of the oncoming blades. Their foes gasped in shock at how easily the attack was thwarted, seeing the grins on their faces.

"Med!" Medicham challenged, gesturing for her enemy to come at her. He blinked in astonishment before developing an angered expression, getting into a ready stance.

"All right, Leaf Blade!" the jinchuriki commanded quickly.

"Gal lay!" his comrade responded as his arms glowed a bright green and sharpened once again.

"Counter with Ice Punch!" the Hyuga heiress called out. The Meditate Pokémon shrouded both of her fists within an icy blue aura, swinging them out to intercept each attempted strike from her foe. Ice began to form upon his arms, slowing his movements long enough for her to punch him again and again at his chest and face.

"Gah…!" he grunted upon receiving a strike to the torso, gritting his teeth before he lifted up his right knee to knock her away, spinning around and kicking her in the face.

"Chamu…" she muttered while getting back into a ready stance afterwards. Her adversary did the same, while his trainer blinked out of confusion.

' _Gallade…_ ' he inwardly uttered, wondering what was going on since he hadn't ordered for him to use another attack.

"Psyshock!" the Byakugan user commanded, throwing out her left arm. Another stream of energy formed in between her teammate's hands, which unleashed several streaks of purple light toward her lone enemy, who merely narrowed his eyes.

"Dodge it!" Naruto yelled to him. He leapt up, spinning around to avoid the oncoming streaks as they raced by. He charged forwards after landing back down, but tripped when one of the streaks struck the ground right behind him. However, he somersaulted back up, making his right arm glow a bright green as it sharpened, much to the surprise of his foe.

"GALLAY!" he bellowed before slashing her back with it, causing her to be sent tumbling back across the ground. She came to a stop, lying on her torso until she pushed herself up onto her feet.

"Chamu…" she grunted, rubbing her left arm out of agony. Her fellow Psychic/Fighting type was now gesturing for her to try and attack, mocking her earlier challenge. Meanwhile, his master looked on worriedly as this was the second straight time that he had done something without being told. Though it wasn't costing him the battle, it did appear as if he wasn't battling with his comrade.

"Okay, Psycho Cut!" he ordered, disregarding the previous instances as he closed his right hand into a fist. Making both of his arms glow a bright pink-purple, Gallade crossed them before throwing them out to unleash several crescent-shaped blades of energy.

"Force Palm!" Hinata commanded. Medicham quickly threw out her hands, striking the energy blades and making them burst into nothing but thin air.

"Now Focus Blast!" the blonde haired man shouted to his partner. Readying his extremities, the Blade Pokémon prepared a large orb of yellow light upon his hands, making the Hyuga heiress grin as she saw it.

"Force Palm, again!" she cried out. Lunging forwards just as her foe was about to unleash his attack, the Meditate Pokémon palmed the sphere with her right hand, suddenly causing an explosion that enveloped both of them.

"Ergh!" both shinobi grunted as they endured the force of the blast. When the smoke finally cleared, it revealed that the creatures were still standing with scrapes of dirt apparent on their bodies. They breathed heavily from their bout, as the bladed one of the two clenched his teeth together angrily.

"Gal, gallay lay!" he yelled back to his owner, making him perk up.

"Yeah," he concurred, reaching into his jacket and pulling out the Key Stone attached to his necklace, "I think it's time to see if this really works!" he declared. His girlfriend nodded in agreement, taking out her own piece of jewelry and lifting it over her head.

"Medicham…" she began, touching the multicolored solid with the fingers of her left hand, causing bright streaks of golden light to shoot out from it, "Mega Evolve!" she exclaimed. The Medichamite upon her partner's bracelet started shining in a bright blue light, releasing its own streams that connected with those of her master's. They then become a bright white, letting off a flash before a multicolored aura began shrouding the Psychic/Fighting type.

"CHHHAAAAAMM!" she screamed as her body was morphing. Protrusions were appearing at her waist and her head, and two pairs of unattached arms appearing right beside her. When the light finally vanished, it revealed that her headpiece now resembled a white turban with a yellow stone in the center. The red extension in the back of her head was retained, and there were five white extensions on the turban, three extended from the stone, and one on either side of her head. There was now a gold band on each of her wrists and additional gold bands around her waist. Several blue, teardrop-shaped decorations hang from the lowest hip band. To top it off, the four, ghost-like appendages she had created thanks to the transformation waved about, looking as if they were actually real. She took a ready stance, aiming the new arms towards her lone foe.

"Gal…" he uttered, raising his left arm into the air as a signal for the jinchuriki.

"Right!" he responded while grasping the stone of his necklace tightly within his right hand, "Gallade, Mega Evolve!" he bellowed as streaks of golden light emitted from his extremity. The same kind of streams shot out from his teammate's Galladite, combining with those of his trainer's to become a bright white and create a flash of light.

"GALLLAAAYYY!" the Blade Pokémon roared as his body began to morph within the multicolored aura. Red plates emerged on his arms, and the helmet and cape-like protrusions on his head and back that appeared to give him a knightly appearance. When the luminosity finally subsided, it revealed that his upper body had become white, and the spikes on his head had elongated. "Gal!" he shouted, readying his bladed arms as the red plates upon them started to glow.

"Here we go!" Naruto called out, grinning excitedly, "Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" he ordered.

"Gal!" he responded, crossing his arms before swinging them out to unleash several crescent-shaped blades of energy heading for his opponent.

"Block them with Force Palm!" Hinata yelled quickly. Throwing out her palms rapidly, Medicham managed to intercept each blade that came her way. The blonde haired man grinned as he believed there was no chance she would be able to stop all of them, but was astonished to see her ghostly arms knocking away the blades as well.

"Med, chamu?" she inquired in challenge, gesturing for her adversary to try and attack again. He was taken aback by her show of arrogance, clenching his teeth together out of frustration before lunging forward.

"Hey, Gallade?!" his owner cried out, only to receive no reply as his morphed Psychic/Fighting type reeled his arms back, prepared to strike his enemy.

"Use Ice Punch!" the Hyuga heiress commanded. Cloaking both of her fists in an icy blue aura, the Mega Evolved Meditate Pokémon threw out her left one in order to block the attempted strike from her opponent. They then unleashed flurries of punches onto one another, with each ending up countered again and again.

"GALLAY!" the bladed creature roared as he kicked his foe's torso, making her cringe in agony and stumble backwards. It gave him an opening to strike her with a barrage of punches, sending her tumbling across the ground until she regained her footing, standing right before her trainer.

"Wow…" she uttered out of awe, impressed with the skill of the Mega Evolved Blade Pokémon. However, Naruto was very concerned as even in his transformed state, his partner was still fighting by his own instincts rather than waiting for a command.

"Okay, Focus Blast!" he bellowed in demand, forgetting the previous instances. His comrade began forming another yellow orb upon his hands, reeling his arms back in preparation to throw it.

"Psyshock, quick!" Hinata ordered as she swung her arms out. A purple energy began streaming between not only the actual hands of Medicham, but also between her ghostly appendages as well. They then unleashed several streaks of light that were aimed at her lone foe, who charged toward them. He avoided the first couple that flew by and then started to block the others by using the sphere upon his extremities, persevering through every one of them.

"GO!" the jinchuriki shouted loudly as his partner had burst through the last of the streaks, jumping upwards. He span around and started diving down towards the guru-like being, making her grimace in realization as her initial attack had failed.

"Force Palm!" her master called out, causing her to immediately perk up and ready all six of her arms, throwing them out at the same time to intercept the orb in an instant. An explosion occurred right at the contact point, blowing the both of them back as they grimaced out of agony.

"Leaf Blade!" the blonde haired man commanded. Regaining his composure, Gallade had the red plates upon his arms glow a bright green and sharpen, landing back on the ground and charging forwards.

"Use Psyshock one more time!" the Byakugan user exclaimed. From within the smoke, several streaks of purple light shot out; all heading for the bladed creature as he grimaced slightly. However, he managed to use his cape-like protrusions to successfully deflect the rays, diving down into the smoke as it dissipated and slashing his opponent.

"CHAM!" she screeched in pain from taking the attack to her torso, being sent careening back. Hearing her agonized cry caused her adversary to blink in surprise, as he hadn't wanted to hurt her too badly.

"Hang in there, Medicham!" her trainer cheered as she managed to keep her footing.

"Chamu!" she responded, getting back into a ready stance.

"Gallay…" the Mega Evolved Blade Pokémon uttered as he too got himself prepared.

' _What a great feeling…_ ' Naruto inwardly noted as he let off a grin, followed by shouting out another command, ' _Hinata and I are really getting into the groove of this whole battling thing again!_ ' he added through his thoughts as his partner had the plates on his arms glow a bright green again as he was using them to counter the aura-covered fists of his enemy, ' _Still…_ ' he kept going, shifting his expression into a concerned one as he watched the battle rage on, ' _how come Gallade's trying to fight on his own?_ ' he wondered, remembering the instances where he had attacked without a command. After using his cape-like protrusion to block a punch from the Mega Evolved Meditate Pokémon, he slashed at her again, followed by barraging her with quick kicks and strikes.

"Hey, easy Gallade!" his trainer yelled in demand, catching his attention, "You can't just attack without getting a word from me…" he pointed out, causing him to grimace in realization as he glanced away ashamedly.

"Ice Punch, again!" the Hyuga heiress suddenly commanded, much to his surprise as he turned back too late to end up stricken right in the face once again by the cold extremity of his enemy. He was sent careening back until he regained his footing, growling angrily as he got into a ready stance.

"Med, chamu!" the Psychic/Fighting type who hit him stated proudly, letting off a confident grin.

"All right…" the jinchuriki began, closing his hands into fists as a grin showed upon his face, "guess it's time to settle this!" he declared excitedly, "Gallade, Focus Blast!" he ordered.

"Gal!" his partner responded, forming another golden orb of energy upon his hands that grew slowly in size.

"Medicham, use Force Palm!" the Byakugan user shouted. Readying all of her available arms, her comrade lunged forwards, charging at her adversary as he continued to ready his attack. He then swung his arms back just as she came up to him, followed by throwing it out to intercept her six extremities, which all palmed the sphere. A greater explosion than before occurred at the contact point, enveloping the entire area in a cloud of dust as both shinobi yelped in surprise, having to endure the force of the blast. After a few moments, the dust finally settled to reveal both creatures still standing firm with scrapes all over their bodies. However, they suddenly keeled over onto their knees, transforming back into their original states and breathing heavily.

"Gallay…" the Blade Pokémon realized with trembling eyes of shock, feeling ashamed for only battling his opponent to a draw.

"Chamu!" she chimed in, catching his attention as he looked to see her smiling happily, shocking him slightly.

"Well, I guess we're strong as each other at least," Hinata pointed out as she went up to the pair on the field, causing them to both perk up.

"But that doesn't mean we're not strong at all," Naruto added, trotting up to the group and placing a hand onto his teammate's shoulder, "That was a great battle, you two," he told him and the Meditate Pokémon.

"Cham!" the latter of the two said out of gratitude as her cheeks were a rosy red. The former just remained silent, glancing away as his master and his girlfriend happily embraced, clenching his teeth together in frustration.

 **X END STORY X**

"That's it?" Leslie questioned with an arched eyebrow, "Sounds to me like there's more to the story…" she noted while scratching her right cheek with her index finger.

"Yeah…" Sarada agreed as she glanced over at the Byakugan user, "especially with Gallade," she pointed out, "Did he and Lord Seventh ever come to an understanding?" she asked the woman, who grimaced slightly.

"That's… not easy to answer…" she admitted, looking down somberly, "Everything had seemed normal between them for a time, but…" she tried to continue as her expression had become a deep frown.

"Mommy?" Himawari uttered in concern from seeing her reaction.

"Hey, did you guys see what happened to the Hokage Monument?" someone in the restaurant asked, catching the attentions of the group in the booth.

"Yeah, it's like what happened all those years ago with our Hokage when he was a kid," another man replied, folding his arms over his chest, "Can't believe he'd let this happen even now…" he grumbled.

"You don't think that could be…?" the white haired girl started to guess, earning a bunch of nervous stares in response from her friends. They exited the restaurant moments later to see several Hidden Leaf shinobi racing across the city, jumping from building to building as they appeared to be in pursuit of someone.

"Looks like they found the perp," Rachael realized as she placed her left hand onto her hip.

"It's no doubt Boruto's behind this…" the Uchiha girl chimed in, "The whole thing has his name written all over it…" she mentioned out of annoyance while pushing up her glasses. As they continued to chatter, Raya began to remember the instances of her brother being unnoticed in her family because of what she had gone through as a child, recognizing that it was similar to the situation her friend was currently in. In a flash of light, her skin became cerulean as she gained pony ears, a longer ponytail, and wings, much to the surprise of those with her.

"Uh, Raya?" the Pokémon trainer questioned, seeing her slowly fly up from the ground.

"I'll be right back!" she promised, dashing off in an instant to leave them behind. The requip was stunned by her taking an initiative, but smiled, proud of her friend. Elsewhere in the village, a certain boy was racing through the streets quickly, having a wide grin across his face. He had spiky, blonde hair, blue eyes, and two whisker markings on each of his cheeks. His clothing consisted of an unzipped black jacket with red stripes over a white shirt and a bolt tied to a string around his neck, black pants with a holster on the right leg, and a pair sandals upon his feet. Donning his head was a black forehead protector, which had the Leaf Village symbol upon it.

"Looks like I finally lost them," he noted with a wide grin, glancing back to see the red paint splattered all over the rock faces of the mountainside, "Heh," he chuckled, proud of his work.

"Boruto!" a voice cried out, causing him to perk up before he was suddenly tackled to the ground in a yelp. He tumbled across the earth before coming to a stop, jumping back onto his feet.

"Hey, what's the big-?!" He stopped his question the moment he saw the Equestrian magic user in front of him, being in a ready stance as she folded her wings inward.

"You need to go and clean up after yourself, Boruto," she stated with clenched fists. He blinked in surprise, not appearing to recognize who she was.

"What makes you think I'd do something like that?" he asked back, gesturing towards the monument.

"Because I know my brother would do the same thing to get attention," Raya replied, much to his surprise as his eyes widened.

"Raya…?" he uttered in disbelief upon realizing who she was. He then saw her take a ready stance, enticing him to do the same.

"That's enough!" another voice boomed, catching their attentions as they looked upward to see a figure land between them. The winged girl and the young genin gasped to see who had arrived. It was a tall man with short, blonde, spiky hair and blue eyes while also having whiskers upon his cheeks. He was wearing a white cape that had a red flame pattern around the hem, was held together by a red rope, and had the kanji for "Seventh Hokage" written vertically down the back. Underneath it was an orange sweatshirt with black stripes, black pants, and sandals.

"Lord Seventh…" the Tennyson girl uttered, immediately letting her wings, pony ears, and ponytail disappear with her cerulean skin as she bowed respectfully to the man. He looked over at her and smiled, followed by looking over at his son, who turned away and puffed his cheeks out of frustration.

"Raya!" Rachael's voice cried out, catching their attentions as they saw her, Leslie, Sarada, Himawari, and Hinata all running down toward them.

"Oh dear…" the latter of the group that had arrived muttered worriedly, "It happened again, didn't it?" she inquired, getting a mere nod in response from her husband.

"Good to see you after so long, Raya," he said to the Equestrian magic user with a grin, changing the subject for a moment to her surprise, "You've grown up a lot, haven't you?" he guessed. She smiled back and simply nodded, while Boruto looked on with dejection upon his face.

 **END**

 **What could come from Naruto's story about his Gallade? You guys are gonna find out at some point, but for now, it's back to getting some other stories going! Here's a summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Gallade's underlying anger towards himself seems to be growing as he trains each day, even by himself to grow stronger for the sake of Medicham. When the day of Hinata's baby shower arrives, he finally meets a worthy opponent in the form of Ash's Greninja. However, their battle is going to go beyond anything ordinary, even to the point of death?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **See ya later!**


	13. Naruto & Hinata's Journey PART II

**Hey folks! Ready for some more Mega Evolution action from yours truly? I sure am! After a while since updating this set of stories, I started to think more about what this chapter would revolve and giving it some time, I realized that the sneak peek I put up would be highly inappropriate. One reason is because I think I've been getting too immature and repetitive with my jokes, while the other focuses on spoilers for characters and other stories to come.**

 **We'll get into that within this chapter, which will focus on how Naruto's relationship with his Gallade was culminated into what it became. How will that be portrayed? Well, let's find out.**

 **THE MEGA PROTOCOL**

Seating himself down at his desk in his office, the Hokage rested his elbows against the tabletop as he put his hands together and looked forward. Standing in front of him was his son, who was glancing away in a disgruntled fashion, while his mother and his sister watched on. Raya, Rachael, Leslie, and Sarada were also present as well, awaiting the punishment their male ninja friend would receive.

"All right, I'm sorry for messing up the dumb mountain, okay?" he apologized, folding his arms behind his head, "You can get off my back now…" he muttered in frustration.

"You're going to clean that up," his father stated in a stern tone.

"Like hell I am!" he responded angrily as he slammed his hands onto the table, "Unless you wanna do it with me, get someone else to-!" His yell was interrupted once he felt someone's hand come onto his shoulder. To his surprise, it wasn't his female parent, but rather the requip user, who seemed very upset with him.

"Grow up already, Boruto," she advised, clutching his jacket tightly as she pulled him back, "Acting like this is only gonna prove how much of a brat you still are," she pointed out, causing him to blink in surprise before gritting his teeth angrily.

"Shut up!" he shouted, smacking her hand away while turning to face her, "I don't need a lecture from someone like you!" he exclaimed, leading to an eerie silence that filled the room as everyone else was somewhat stunned.

"You haven't changed a bit," the scarlet haired girl concluded after a moment, "All that training you went through, graduating from the Academy, and you still can't get over the fact that the world doesn't revolve around you," she realized as he began clenching his fists, "It's no wonder you keep pulling these stupid stunts," she added, making him perk up instantly as he realized his arm back.

"I said shut-!" He was quickly interjected as Hinata caught his arm just in time, staring at him sternly. He immediately relinquished his arm, letting it down as he glanced away ashamedly. "Sorry," he apologized to the Hagane girl in front of him.

"Naruto, we should really tell them about Gallade," the woman in the room recommended, trotting over to her husband's side.

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod, "So you girls are roaming worlds for stories about Mega Evolution, right?" he guessed to the visitors in the room.

"Mm-hmm!" Leslie responded eagerly as she bobbed her own head, "We've been going around to different worlds for about a week now and seeing all of our friends," she pointed out, showing off a very content expression until it suddenly faded into a frown, "Of course, I hate seeing all the boobs around me…" she confessed quietly, which the girls her age beside her heard, including Rachael, staring at her blankly.

"Seriously, Les?" the latter of the three questioned sarcastically, smacking herself in the face.

"Anyways, after hearing about Medicham and Gallade earlier," Sarada chimed in, adjusting her glasses, "we'd like to hear what happened afterwards," she said somewhat pleadingly.

"It might even help with this whole issue you guys are having," Raya mentioned smartly, causing Boruto to perk up a little again.

"Heh," the Hokage chuckled, standing up from his seat and going over to the window, "Leslie, this story involves your dad, too," he said as the Pokémon trainer widened her eyes a little, "Looking back on it," he continued while grinning, "I'm happy to know that it both Gallade and I a little better as individuals…" he admitted, remembering the tale.

 **NARUTO & HINATA'S JOURNEY PART II**

"Congratulations!" a plethora of female voices exclaimed as confetti suddenly sprung out of poppers, raining all over a pregnant Hinata.

"Th-Thank you…" she stuttered in gratitude, evidently embarrassed at the attention as she saw all the gifts in front of her on the coffee table of the living room. After she and the jinchuriki had married and went through a few tough battles together in other universes, they had bought a home in the suburban area of the village, where they would eventually get ready to have their first child. Rainbow Dash Tennyson, Mirajane Ketchum, and Kuvira Salazar were there as the latter two were sitting on the couch with her; all having enlarged torsos to signify that they too were bearing growing babies.

"Oh, it's going to be one shower after another, isn't it?" the take-over wizard implied cleverly as she tilted her head to the side, blushing cutely.

"So when's your due date?" the metalbender of the group asked, taking a sip of water from a glass she had.

"Just about a month from now," the Hyuga heiress replied as she put her hand onto her belly, "It's so weird that all of us are about to have children…" she pointed out, grinning a little.

"I know…" the former dictator concurred, looking down at her own torso, "Rex couldn't believe it after he proposed to me," she mentioned while chuckling.

"Ash's mother didn't take the news very lightly…" the white haired woman added, remembering the frightened reaction of her husband when his parent had found out about the future child during their party in his world.

"Uh, heh-heh…" both dark haired women there chuckled nervously.

"How about you, Rainbow?" the ponytailed female of the two asked the former athlete, who now had shorter, but messy hair as she had her arms folded over her chest, standing beside them.

"Oh, Ben was glad…" she responded, letting out a quick cough into her right arm, "I mean, who wouldn't be after knowing-?" Her sentence was interjected as she went into another fit of coughing, much to the shock of the others as Mirajane stood up and quickly walked over to her.

"Are you all right?!" she asked worriedly, placing her hands onto her shoulders as she slowly breathed.

"Yeah, I'm good…" she reassured, reaching into the pocket of her jacket to take out an inhaler. She placed the opening in her mouth before pressing down on the button, taking in the air from the capsule and exhaling in relief. The rest of the women in the room stared at her in concern, while she gave off a despondent expression. "I know you guys don't love seeing me like this," she pointed out as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, "My babe doesn't either…" she mentioned, grimacing a little while keeping her eyes focused on the floor, "When I have our baby, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get back on my feet," she declared proudly, closing her hands into fists. The others smiled at her courage, glad that she was not completely distraught.

"Everything okay in there?" a feminine voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw Skyla Hagane walk into the room with a baby girl in her arms.

"Oh did we wake the baby, Skyla?" Hinata inquired in concern.

"Oh, no," the Mistralton gym leader replied, trotting over to them, "She woke up hungry, so I stepped out for a bit…" she told the group, seating herself on the lone chair in the room.

"Rainbow just had another one of her coughing fits, but she's okay," Kuvira explained to her, making her blink in surprise for a moment, "So I never got to ask…" she kept going, catching her attention, "what's Rachael's full name?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, well…" the red haired woman began as she looked back at her daughter, who appeared to be snoozing, "it's Rachael Irene Hagane," she finally answered.

"I-Irene?" the former dictator stuttered in question, arching an eyebrow. As the ladies carried on their discussion, outside in the backyard, Gingka Hagane watched glanced back through the glass doors and windows to see his wife chatting on about their child. He let off a content grin, glancing up at the bright blue sky.

"Zor!" his Scizor cried out as he soared overhead.

"Grooh!" a Steelix bellowed as he lifted his head up after him, enticing him to glide down and land upon the ground.

"Pika, pika!" a Pikachu squeaked happily, running along the grass with him as the Steel/Ground type chased after them. Meanwhile, a Sceptile was leaning against the fence, chewing on and spitting out sunflower seeds as he watched the other three go about the area.

"Sep…" he scoffed, glancing over at the humans gathered together, being Ben Tennyson, Ash Ketchum, Naruto Uzumaki, and Rex Salazar. The beyblader went up to them, placing his hands into his pockets.

"Good way to pass the time," he noted, seeing the creatures playfully roaming around.

"Yeah," his best friend agreed with a nod, glancing over at the group of women inside, "Sure wish we could join them though…" he admitted, scratching his right cheek by using his finger.

"Ash… it's a _baby shower_ …" the Omni Force leader groaned out as he placed his hand against his face in agony, much to his confusion.

"How long do you think it'll last?" the evo asked the jinchuriki beside him, getting his attention.

"Maybe one or two more hours…" he answered as a suggestion, folding his arms over his chest, "I'm just glad Hinata's enjoying all this," he mentioned.

"Same," the Biomnitrix bearer agreed, chiming into the conversation, "So Gingka," he continued, causing the shaggy haired man to perk up, "what's this whole thing I've been hearing about you getting into a threesome?" he questioned with a devious smirk, causing his eyes to immediately bulge open out of shock before his face turned a scarlet red.

"Wait, what?" the goggled man uttered in surprise, turning with both the Pokémon trainer and the shinobi upon hearing the last word of the question.

"H-H-How did you know… about that?!" the sword carrier asked, stuttering all the while in embarrassment.

"Cana," the Biomnitrix bearer answered simply, folding his arms over his chest as he saw him hunch over in defeat, "Gotta say, I never thought you'd be the guy to do that kinda stuff," he admitted.

"They were both drunk…" he mentioned out of exasperation, trembling in place.

"Wait, so Gingka had a threesome?" the jinchuriki inquired, tilting his head to the side, "With who?" he questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Skyla and Erza," the Omni Force leader replied, trotting over to the others, "And the best part is Jellal didn't know…" he mentioned as they all gasped in shock.

"Actually, he did…" the beyblader mentioned in embarrassment, blushing a little, "But… that's nothing compared to how Ash decided to get Mirajane pregnant only a few days after they got married!" he shouted, pointing at the Pokémon trainer, who turned red instantaneously.

"I-It was our honeymoon!" he stuttered in claim, "And what about Ben?" he questioned, causing everyone to glance over at their group leader, "I heard that Rainbow pushed him around into doing that kind of stuff…" he muttered, making him grimace in realization.

"Whoa, seriously?" the evo questioned with a blink of his eyes.

"That was a long time ago!" the bearded man yelled as his face reddened, "And you knocked up Kuvira before you even decided to marry her!" he pointed out accusingly, causing him to gasp.

"W-Well, Naruto… uh…" he tried to say, but couldn't as he looked to see the smirk on the shinobi's face, "I… don't have any dirt on you…" he confessed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Ha!" the ninja laughed, "It's nice that we're getting to talk like this after so long," he noted, glancing over at his house, "especially since all of us are about to be parents one way or another," he added, making his comrades all blush out of embarrassment.

"And since all those fights we've been through…" the Biomnitrix bearer pointed out, folding his arms over his chest as he and the others started to remember their recent battles.

"It's really too bad we had to get kicked out of Hinata's baby shower…" the raven haired man said as he looked back at the home they were in the backyard of.

"Ash… it's a baby shower," his best friend grumbled in response, placing his hand against his face out of exasperation, much to his confusion as he tilted his head to the side again.

"Pika pi, pika," Pikachu squeaked to the others from afar with a sigh, as they had listened into the conversation.

"Sep…" Sceptile scoffed, folding his arms over his chest before glancing away.

"Grooo?" Steelix uttered in confusion, blinking rapidly. Scizor said nothing as he continued to punch the air around him, practicing fluently. From afar, Greninja was leaning against a tree, eyeing his master as he started up another conversation with the men.

"So the Kanto League, huh?" Ben inquired while arching an eyebrow, "And you don't have to go through the whole gym badge collecting and tournament again?" he questioned, somewhat perplexed.

"Actually, they're letting me challenge the Champion's League because my chance was lost after what happened with Team Flare back then," he explained as a response, "Plus, they've got a new rule saying that a challenger has to face the Champion's League of his or her home region, unless they choose to challenge another for a title," he mentioned to them, causing them to all perk up in interest.

"So you're one step closer to your dream…" Gingka noted, placing his right hand onto his pal's shoulder, "You've got plenty of people to thank for that," he pointed out as he smiled back at him.

"Yeah," he agreed, "You guys, my other friends, my Pokémon…" he listed off in remembrance while glancing up at the sky, "Everyone's been a big part of making us stronger," he stated, getting nods in response from the rest of the group. Listening in from one of the larger tree branches was Gallade, who looked at his hands in frustration, clenching his teeth together tightly. Despite his efforts in his Mega Evolved form, he had only managed to battle Medicham to a draw in his first battle since returning to his trainer. The sheer shame of failing to win haunted him, as he thought it meant that he wasn't strong enough. However, upon hearing the words Ash was saying about being a strong enough trainer to challenge champions, he glanced over at his Pokémon in particular. Pikachu didn't seem like a worthy opponent in his eyes, so he put his focus onto Greninja, who was still lying against the tree nonchalantly.

"Gal…" the Psychic/Fighting type growled, believing that he was acting arrogant with his laid back behavior. He jumped down from the tree, landing in front of him and catching his attention.

"Ja?" he croaked in confusion, batting open his right eye to see the Blade Pokémon there.

"Ga gallay!" he demanded in an angered tone, causing the other creatures to perk up as they heard his shouts.

"Gre nin?" the Water/Dark type asked, folding his arms over his chest after standing up from his seat.

"Gal gal lay gallay!" the one in front of him yelled in response, evidently frustrated as rage was building in his eyes.

"Neen ja…" the Ninja Pokémon advised, stepping out to place a hand onto his shoulder. However, he quickly backed off, making his right arm glow a bright green and sharpen before he swung it out to strike his target, sending him crashing into the wooden fence.

"What was that?!" the raven haired man asked upon hearing the sound of splintering wood. The rest of his comrades turned to see the dust billowing from the point of the impact, as it dissipated to reveal Greninja lying there in a heap, groaning out of agony before glaring out at Gallade.

"Ja…" he growled underneath his scarf-like tongue.

"Gal lay…" the Psychic/Fighting type challenged, making a gesture for him to attack, while everyone else looked on in shock.

"Gren…" the Water/Dark type uttered as he stood up, putting the sides of his fists together before pulling out a glowing white needle, spinning it around and aiming it towards his apparent opponent.

"Hey guys, knock it off!" Ash cried out as he immediately ran over to get in between the two of them. In the meantime, none of the women inside had noticed a thing, as both Scizor and Sceptile rushed into the fray.

"Zor, si zor!" the former of the two pleaded to them.

"Sep, ti!" the latter scoffed in agreement. Unfortunately, it seemed their actions did little more than anger the Blade Pokémon even more as he gritted his teeth.

"Gal gallay!" he demanded as his arms radiated a bright purple, much to the surprise of the others.

"Nin ja!" the Ninja Pokémon challenged, ready to start a fight.

"ENOUGH!" Naruto's voice suddenly boomed, causing everyone in the backyard to halt their actions, while those within the house perked up as they had heard him.

"What's going on out there now?" Skyla inquired, going over to the window and peering through the glass.

"Naruto, why did-?"

"I dunno," the jinchuriki immediately responded as he had interjected Gingka's question, trotting up to his partner, "Gallade," he uttered, placing his hand onto his shoulder to cause him to turn his head and see the reprimanding look in his eyes.

"Guh-Gal…" he stammered while immediately becoming ashamed for his actions, much to the shock of the others, "Gallay…" he apologized to Greninja, who let the energy needle in his hand disappear.

"Seriously dude, what was all that about?" Ben asked, trotting up to his teammate.

"Huh…" he sighed deeply, letting go of the Psychic/Fighting type, "This isn't the first time something like this went down…" he confessed as the creature before him lowered his head shamefully, "When Hinata and I were just starting to get the hang of using Mega Evolution, he was a bit… aggressive…" he explained to the group, having to pause to find the right word to say.

"Aggressive how?" Rex questioned while arching an eyebrow.

"Like attacking without my say so and being a little too relentless," the shinobi replied, causing the one in question to grimace a little.

"Sounds a lot like Sceptile," the Biomnitrix bearer pointed out, causing them to perk up, "He wasn't exactly the best friend I expected him to be when he came back to me…" he noted, smirking over at him.

"Tile!" he scoffed, turning his head away.

"Pika, pika pi?" Pikachu asked curiously, jumping up onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Why would he attack Greninja though?" Gingka questioned, folding his arms behind his chest. Gallade then shot a glare towards the Ninja Pokémon, causing him to blink in surprise before glaring right back at him.

"Maybe he just wants to battle Greninja!" Ash suggested as he snapped his fingers.

"Gal!" the Blade Pokémon replied with a nod of his head, turning to his master, "Gal gallay?" he asked him in a pleading tone.

"Heh," he chuckled, letting off a grin, "Why not?" he sarcastically muttered, placing his hands at his hips, "Though I don't think this'll be the place for it…" he pointed out as he smirked, causing his partner to blush a little out of embarrassment.

"Then let's hit the training grounds!" the aspiring Pokémon master exclaimed with a pump of his fist, "Nothing gets trainer and Pokémon closer than a good ol' battle!" he concurred excitedly.

"Pika!" the Electric type squeaked in agreement.

"I'm down for it," Rex chimed in, "Besides, it's a good way for Ash to get ready for the Champion's League," he mentioned, causing the Psychic/Fighting type to perk up.

"All right," Ben agreed, returning the Forest Pokémon to his Poké Ball in a red beam of light, as the evo and the beyblader did with their respective partners. The women in the house watched them head off, with Hinata having a concerned expression on her face, especially as she saw the two future opponents share another look, about to engage in a fierce bout.

 **X**

Stepping onto the field as the waterfall rained down into the small pond beside it, the five Omni Force members arrived as both Gallade and Greninja stood on opposite ends, with their respective trainers standing behind them. The gushing water that roared from afar was the only sound aside from the wind, while both the jinchuriki and the Pokémon trainer grinned at each other.

"We haven't gotten the chance to battle before, have we?" the former inquired as he arched an eyebrow.

"Nah," the latter replied with a nod, "but that makes this all the more exciting!" he exclaimed while pumping his fists.

"Give us a show, compadres!" the evo yelled, waving his arm up in the air.

"Okay, here goes!" Naruto said as a glint of anticipation shone in his eyes, "Gallade, Psycho Cut!" he commanded eagerly.

"Gal!" his partner responded, reeling both of his arms back as they glowed a bright pink-purple, throwing them out to fire several crescent-shaped blades of energy towards his foe. However, he merely crossed his arms, taking the attack as it dissipated instantly upon striking him, appearing to do nothing. "G-Gal?!" his opponent stuttered in shock.

"What the heck…?" the shinobi muttered, stunned as well.

"Greninja's a Water _and_ a Dark type," the opposing trainer pointed out to catch his attention, "Your Psychic type moves won't work on us," he kept going, "but we've got something that'll work on you!" he declared, closing his hand into a fist, "Greninja, Water Shuriken!" he ordered. Pulling out a throwing star made of water from each leg, the Ninja Pokémon tossed them rapidly at the one standing before him.

"Slice 'em up with Leaf Blade!" the whiskered man shouted quickly. Letting his arms glow a bright green and sharpen, the Blade Pokémon furiously cut each shuriken tossed his way, creating a cloud of smoke that shrouded him from view.

"Now Aerial Ace!" Ash yelled, making him perk up in shock. His teammate rushed into the cloud as his right fist shined in a bright blue light. Before he could even react properly, the Psychic/Fighting was struck by an uppercut to his chin, causing the veil around them to instantly disappear into thin air as he flew up for a moment. What followed was his enemy spinning around and kicking him away with his glowing left foot.

"Gal…!" he grunted as he slid back, falling onto his right knee and breathing heavily.

"You all right, Gallade?!" his master called out worriedly, seeing him slowly stand on his feet.

"Aerial Ace again!" the voice of the raven haired man bellowed once more, enticing his partner to dash out with both of his fists glowing in the same bright blue light.

"Gallade, dod-!" Before Naruto could even finish his command to him, the humanoid-like creature readied an orb of yellow energy upon his hands, firing it in an instant.

"Greninja, Double Team!" the Pokémon trainer shouted. As his entire body flashed a bright white, the Water/Dark type duplicated himself as clones ran side by side with him. One took the attack, which created a large explosion that clouded the field in black smoke. However, the real frog-like creature zoomed out, about to strike his foe.

"Close Combat!" the jinchuriki ordered quickly. Clenching his own fist, the Blade Pokémon threw his out to counter the one from his adversary, followed by intercepting each of his punches with his own at a rapid pace.

"Gal… LAY!" he roared, kicking his knee to cause him to stumble back for a moment, allowing for him to strike him again and again without any signs of relenting.

"Pika chu!" Pikachu cried out worriedly for his teammate, while his master grimaced.

"Nice hit," Ben commented, placing his hand onto his chin.

"Yeah…" Gingka agreed as he nodded, narrowing his eyes onto the Psychic/Fighting type. He suddenly readied another energy sphere, spinning around and striking his foe in the chest with it, blowing him away in an instant as once he landed, another explosion occurred.

' _Another one…_ ' the beyblader inwardly noted, seeing the surprised expression on the shinobi's face, ' _But this is different from Korrina's Lucario…_ ' he realized while folding his arms over his chest.

"Nin… ja…" the Ninja Pokémon groaned as he rose from the ground, while the smoke had dissipated.

"Gal, gallay!" his adversary yelled, mockingly waving his hand in a challenging manner towards him.

"Jah…" he growled in response as he closed his hands into fists.

"Gallade, take it easy," the whiskered man advised in a placating manner as he held his hands out, getting his attention, "You can't just go and attack on your own like that…" he pointed out, causing him to widen his eyes before turning away in realization, appearing to be ashamed of himself.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded, swinging his arm out. Greninja spun around as he pulled several throwing stars made of liquid from his legs, tossing them rapidly at his enemy.

"Counter with Psycho Cut!" the jinchuriki yelled loudly. Making his arms glow a bright pink-purple, his partner unleashed several crescent-shaped blades of energy that intercepted each shuriken in a burst of smoke.

"Run in and use Cut!" the raven haired man instructed quickly. The Water/Dark type readied a white needle of energy in his hands as he dashed forward, prepared to strike his foe.

"Block it and use Close Combat!" Naruto called out, enticing his partner to cross his arms to take the attack head on. He grinned deviously, readying his right leg to kick him as he had done so before.

"Aerial Ace, quick!" the Pokémon trainer bellowed. Letting his feet glow a bright blue, his teammate swung out his right one to counter his foe's, causing him to gasp in shock. He then leapt up and struck him in the torso by using his left, sending him sliding back a few feet as he gritted his teeth in agony. With that moment as he still the glowing needle in his right hand, the Ninja Pokémon dashed forwards and sliced by him.

"Gah…!" he grunted out, keeling over onto his right knee again.

"Nice one, Greninja!" his opponent's master complimented as he still had the makeshift weapon in his hand.

"Gallay…!" his enemy growled, letting his arms glow a bright green and sharpen.

"Whoa, what?" Rex uttered in surprise, while the others beside him widened their eyes.

"Gallade, wait!" the shinobi yelled, trying to get his attention, "I haven't even-!"

"Gal lay!" his partner retorted angrily, interjecting his remark as he saw him rush out at his adversary, roaring angrily.

"Block it!" Ash cried out, making his teammate quickly turn and intercept the sharpened arms of his foe by using the needle in his hands, having to swing it around quickly to counter each attempted slash.

' _This is really looking bad…_ ' Gingka concurred inwardly after a moment, ' _If Gallade keeps attacking on his own, this might end up-_ ' His thoughts were immediately halted once he saw that the frog-like creature had made his right fist glow a bright blue, intercepting another slash from his foe by using the needle he had, followed by punching him right in the face. Everyone on the field gasped, even his own owner as he had not expected him to attack without word from him.

"Gal…!" the Psychic/Fighting type grunted as he slid back a few feet, clenching his angrily before slashing at his opponent's chest fiercely.

"Gren!" he exclaimed in agony, stumbling back himself. Both trainers were stunned by what just conspired as were those standing on the sidelines.

"Gallay gal, gallay!" the Blade Pokémon called out to the jinchuriki loudly, holding up his left arm to show him his Galladite. He blinked in surprise for a moment, but developed a resolute expression as he pulled out his Key Stone from his necklace, clutching it in his right hand.

"Gallade, Mega Evolve!" he bellowed, raising it up into the air as it unleashed several streaks of golden light. The same kind of streams shot out from his teammate's Mega Stone, combining with those of his trainer's to become a bright white and create a flash of light.

"GALLLAAAYYY!" he roared as his body began to morph within the multicolored aura that shrouded him. Red plates emerged on his arms, and the helmet and cape-like protrusions on his head and back that appeared to give him a knightly appearance. When the luminosity finally subsided, it revealed that his upper body had become white, and the spikes on his head had elongated. "Gal!" he shouted, readying his bladed arms as the red plates upon them started to glow.

"So that's Mega Gallade, huh?" Ash inquired, rubbing his nose with his right index finger, "Well, here's what we've got!" he exclaimed as he placed his right fist against the Fairy Tail emblem upon his jacket, "Greninja!" he cried out.

"Gren!" his partner responded, performing the same action before a torrent of water enveloped his entire body, causing parts of his body to morph. His head now had protrusions that were similar to his master's hair and hat in color, followed by his torso gaining an appearance that looked exactly like his jacket. The water around him broke apart and zoomed to the center of his back, coming into form in the shape of a giant shuriken. "Gren…" he croaked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Gal…" the morphed Psychic/Fighting type growled angrily, prepared to go into battle in his new form.

 **X**

"Haven't seen Greninja do that since our fight against Alvarez and Acnologia…" Ben pointed out, placing his hand onto his chin upon seeing the transformed Ninja Pokémon.

"Yeah…" Gingka concurred, narrowing his eyes onto the field.

"Greninja, go!" the raven haired man cried out as he swung his right arm.

"Ja!" he responded, dashing forwards immediately.

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade!" Naruto commanded, pumping his fist. His partner let the red plates on his arms glow a bright green, rushing out bravely at his enemy.

"Counter with Aerial Ace!" the opposing trainer instructed quickly. Making his fists shine in a blue light, the changed frog-like creature charged ahead and intercepted the first attempted slash from his adversary, who glared at him menacingly. They then went on to rapidly throw out their arms, trying to strike each other. However, they ended up blocking every punch or cut unleashed.

"Gal… lay!" the humanoid of the two yelled as he managed to land another slice right upon the Water/Dark type's chest, causing him to stumble back while making his master grimace a little.

"Gren…" he growled, managing to recover long enough to hit him in the face by using his right fist as he gritted his teeth.

"Gal…" he grunted as he too stepped away for a moment, looking quite angered.

"Now use Cut!" Ash ordered, enticing his teammate to pull out a pair of blue energy kunai from the markings on his legs and lunge out with them in hand.

"Gallade, dodge-!" Naruto's command was halted quickly once he saw his partner ready another yellow orb of energy upon his hands, using it to shield himself from each of the attempted strikes from his opponent.

"GALLAAAAAYYY!" he roared as he threw his right arm out to try and strike him with it like before, only to end up having it blocked by his enemy's makeshift weapon, which caused an explosion to occur that shrouded them both in smoke.

"Agh!" the raven haired man yelped in pain, grabbing at his left wrist.

"Pika, pika?!" Pikachu asked in concern as he glanced up at him.

"There he goes again…" Ben noted, blinking in surprise, "I mean, Sceptile wasn't doing what I wanted when he came back, but…" he started to say, evidently shocked by what was happening.

"Gallade's trying to make it his own battle," Gingka said as he grimaced slightly. When the veil finally cleared, it revealed both fighters still standing despite breathing heavily.

"Gal…" the Psychic/Fighting type growled, readying a pair of energy orbs upon his hands.

"Hey Gallade, wai-!" His master's words fell on deaf ears as he dashed forwards again, attempting to strike his foe with the spheres he had created.

"Double Team!" the Pokémon trainer shouted. Greninja's body flashed a bright white as several duplicates of himself appeared around him; all jumping away from their lone adversary. He tossed the orbs out at them, knocking two away in bursts of smoke. He then prepared more, firing them rapidly and creating a huge cloud of smoke upon impact with either a clone or the surrounding area.

"Yikes…" Rex uttered as his eyes were widened. The black cloud loomed for a felt like a while, as the Mega Evolved Blade Pokémon awaited his opponent to make a move.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded quickly as he reached behind his back. All of a sudden, the giant throwing star of liquid shot out from the veil, heading straight for the morphed humanoid-like creature. He crossed his arms over his face to block it as sparks flew about, while he clenched his teeth. "Now Aerial Ace!" the opposing trainer cried out, causing him to perk up in surprise. As he managed to blow apart the shuriken into droplets by swinging his arms out, he caught a glimpse of his enemy running it, letting his right fist glow a bright blue. He had no time to react properly as he was punched right in the face by him, being shot back in an instant as he tumbled across the ground hard.

"Gallade!" the jinchuriki yelled worriedly, seeing him slowly rise as he gritted his teeth out of pain. He looked to see the expression of confidence on the transformed Water/Dark type's face as his shuriken reappeared, much to his chagrin.

"Gal…!" he growled angrily, preparing another orb of yellow energy upon his hands. His owner clenched his fists tightly, having had enough of him acting on his own.

"Gallade, stop it!" he demanded angrily to the astonishment of the others, "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but now's not the time!" he pointed out as he sounded quite frustrated, "The only way we're gonna get better together is if you listen-!" He was interrupted at the moment his partner fired the energy sphere directly at him. He managed to avoid by hopping to his left it as it rapidly soared by and tore down a few trees in the background before dissipating into thin air.

"Gal gallay gal!" the morphed Psychic/Fighting type bellowed angrily back at him, turning to face his adversary, "Gallay gal gallay!" he demanded, getting into a ready stance.

"Gren…" the Ninja Pokémon uttered, closing his eyes upon understanding what his opponent desired, "Ja!" he croaked to his owner, catching his attention, "Gren neen ja," he assured, shooting him a thumbs up.

"Greninja?" he uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow. The others looked on in concern, wondering what would happen next.

"Gal lay!" the Mega Evolved Blade Pokémon shouted as he made the red plates upon his arms glow a bright green, rushing forwards.

"Ja…" his foe breathed out, forming a small sphere of energy in between his hands that shaped into a pair of kunai that he grabbed. He then dashed out and clashed his makeshift weapons against his foe's arms, creating a plethora of sparks in between them.

"Gallade…" Naruto uttered as his eyes trembled. The two fighters continued to duke it out as they countered each other's attacks. The humanoid of the two then sliced his foe's right arm, actually causing it to start bleeding as the spectators gasped.

"Hey, Naruto!" Ben shouted in an angered tone, "Call him off!" he demanded rather desperately.

"If Greninja keeps takings hits like that, Ash won't be able to stand it!" Rex mentioned, sounding just as frustrated.

"Wait a sec, guys," Gingka advised, getting their attentions as they saw him point towards his best friend. He was looking at his arm in wonder, having not felt anything from the attack his teammate took.

' _What's going on?_ ' he inwardly questioned, grabbing at it as he saw the blood drip from the frog-like creature's own arm, ' _Is Greninja… not fighting with me?_ ' he guessed through thought, blinking in surprise.

"Neen ja!" he exclaimed as he slashed at his enemy in an x-shaped pattern, cutting his chest open as he stumbled back.

"Gal…" he grunted, breathing heavily as he looked at the red marks he had just gained. He then rushed forward, attempting to hit his opponent by kicking him, only to be intercepted by his own leg, which glowed a bright blue. They exchanged blows again and again, managing to land powerful punches and kicks that pushed them back.

"I've never seen anything like this…" the beyblader confessed, absolutely amazed as the transformed Water/Dark type duplicated himself once more, while Gallade prepared another pair of energy orbs upon his hands.

"Gallay!" he yelled as he threw out a plethora of them, striking the clones and making them disappear in bursts of smoke. The real one grasped the large shuriken on his back, spinning before flinging it out to intercept an oncoming energy sphere, creating a large explosion that enveloped the both of them. They yelled out in pain, tumbling across the field's dirt as trails of dust were left in their wakes.

"Gallade!" Naruto cried out.

"Greninja!" the raven haired man screamed worriedly.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered as he hoped for the best. When the dust finally settled, both fighters were barely standing up with scrapes and wounds along their bodies. However, they both cracked grins as they rushed out at each other again, with another shuriken forming upon the back of the Ninja Pokémon. He made his right fist glow a bright blue before punching his opponent in the face with it, causing him to grit his teeth. To counterattack, he made the red plates upon his arms glow a bright green, slashing at the morphed frog-like creature as he could feel his skin get cut.

"We should stop this…" Ben admitted, closing his right hand into a fist.

"Yeah…" Rex agreed while nodding, seeing the punches, kicks, and slashes landed onto both creatures, as the ground was becoming stained in red.

"Gren…" the transformed Water/Dark type grunted as he grasped the shuriken he had, which grown somewhat as he pulled it off and readied it.

"Gal…" his adversary scoffed with a smirk, preparing another energy sphere that was bigger than the ones he created beforehand. After a quick standoff, they both lunged at each other, swinging their right arms back as they were about to collide their attacks. Everyone grimaced in fright at the thought of what the outcome could be, but then saw a certain figure leap in and land right between the two fighters. It was Medicham in her Mega Evolved state, using her ghostly hands to strike the males, blasting them away instantly in yelps as everyone gasped. Both of them crashed into the earth, grazing through it as they came to a stop right before their respective masters. In flashes of light, they transformed back into their original states, still bleeding however from their wounds.

"Cham chamu cham?!" the morphed Psychic/Fighting type screamed angrily in question towards her friend, who was slow to rise onto his rear end.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice cried out, catching everyone's attention as they widened their eyes to see Hinata jogging toward them, carrying a backpack on her shoulders.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?" Gingka asked, evidently surprised.

"I thought something like this was bound to happen after that battle we had…" she responded, taking the bag off of her back as she breathed heavily, exhausted from traveling so far as sweat dripped down her face.

"Hinata…" her husband uttered with trembling eyes.

"Chamu!" the Meditate Pokémon suddenly yelled as she transformed back to normal in a flash of light, catching the attention of the wounded humanoid-like creature before her as he looked away ashamedly.

"Gal…" he grunted out, still grimacing in pain. Greninja was slow to rise himself, having to be lifted up by both Ash and Pikachu.

"Gren... ja…" he advised, limping himself over to his former opponent.

"What's the bag for?" Ben asked as he and the other Omni Force members gathered around the Hyuga heiress. She set it down and unzipped it, revealing an egg inside with a grey and light blue coloring.

"Wait, that's-!"

"Yeah," she said, interrupting the jinchuriki as she took it out of the bag and held it close, "Medicham showed it to me over a month ago," she explained as everyone gathered around her, "At first, I wondered why this hadn't happened sooner," she joked, pulling off a grin, "but then I realized she was keeping it a secret from us…" she confessed, crying a little as tears started to fall from her eyes, "I think it's because she didn't know if Gallade was r-ready…" she stuttered out, putting her right hand over her mouth. Having been reprimanded by his trainer and now his beloved, the knight-like creature bowed his head in shame.

"Neen," his former foe chimed in, causing him to perk up and look at him, "Gren, nin ja," he pointed out, extending his right hand to him, "Ja," he beckoned. Everyone else looked over as they saw the two wounded warriors stare at each other, with the latter yet to accept the extremity of his recent enemy. However, he slowly reached his right arm out, allowing for him to take it and firmly hold it.

"Gal…" he uttered in gratitude with teary eyes, causing him to chuckle beneath his scarf-like tongue. As they conversed, Naruto held out his right hand towards Ash, catching his attention as he looked over to see the regretful look in his own eyes.

"Hey, no sweat, Naruto," he reassured as he took his extremity, "We both needed this," he pointed out, causing him to chuckle in agreement.

 **X END STORY X**

Stunned silence filled the room as the married couple stood beside each other. Even Boruto seemed astonished by the story.

"So… what happened to Gallade after all that?" Leslie asked, breaking the quiet air of the office.

"Heh," the Hokage chuckled, holding his hands together, "He's now working with Greninja as a sidekick," he stated, much to the confusion of the others as they blanked out.

"Huh?" they all uttered simultaneously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarada asked, completely perplexed as she turned to Rachael.

"No clue…" she responded, folding her arms behind her head. A sharp gasp of realization then emanated from the Pokémon trainer beside them, making them cringe as they covered their ears.

"Wh-What?" the requip user asked as her teeth were clenched.

"Greninja's been working as a pro hero in the world All Might and Eraserhead are from!" she answered eagerly, remembering how he gained a license as a professional and became a full-fledged do-gooder, "Even though he probably wouldn't need anybody's help, he's got Pokémon sidekicks working with him like Gallade!" she explained rather excitedly, "I think your dad's Tyranitar is one of them, Sarada!" she added, causing her to blink in surprise.

"My dad's…?" she questioned as she adjusted her glasses.

"In any case, he's gotten better without me around, and I think that's for the best," the jinchuriki told the group, getting their attentions once more, "Gallade and I might have a close bond, but his feelings are different than mine," he added while standing up, "It's not that I'm not sad to be unable to see him as often," he kept going as he grinned, "but I'm just glad he's making the most of his new opportunity," he finished, making the girls in the room smile, while his son appeared to remain shocked.

"Speaking of which…" Hinata began, getting their attentions, "would you three consider taking on the Chunin Exams?" she offered, causing the guests to widen their eyes in shock.

"W-Well, shouldn't we be Genin first to even do that?" Raya questioned with a stutter.

"I can tell from looking at you three that you're more than qualified to take the exams," the Hokage responded as he grabbed a few slips of paper from his desk and walked over to the trio, "You're still gonna need to get these filled out first," he pointed out, handing them one each. They looked at the forms in wonder before Rachael cracked a chuckle.

"Guess we know what we're doing after this whole trip of ours…" she joked, causing her friends to laugh. The Uchiha girl and Himawari smiled brightly at them, while Boruto just kept to himself, placing his hands into his pockets. He was intrigued by his father's story however, managing to form a small grin on his face.

 **END**

 **Man, that was fun! It's nice to write a good battle every once in a while, and things are looking pretty good thanks to that system I've been using in terms of publishing chapters that I've completed at the start of next month. Anyways, I wanted to demonstrate that Greninja is going to be learning how to harness his power without Ash around, which started here and continued when he was accidentally separated from him during a certain incident. Since then, he's become a pro hero like legends had foretold about him and has even recruited the Pokémon of other Omni Force members to work alongside him.**

 **Anyways, up next will be more of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"! Stay tuned!**

 **Here's your summary for the next story!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Rex Salazar is having a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact that he's now raising a Steelix out of the blue! What's worse is that he's trying to be a good boyfriend to Kuvira, but what he doesn't realize is that she's in on whole thing, preparing to battle him with her newly acquired Aggron! Will both trainers be ready to face each other?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**


End file.
